


The Known

by Grattsfan



Category: NWSL - Fandom, USWNT - Fandom, Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:13:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 88
Words: 221,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22441627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grattsfan/pseuds/Grattsfan
Summary: Charlotte Jennifer Gordon, aka Charlie or C.J., is a sister, best friend, girlfriend, soccer player and ... best selling author.  When she was just a teenager, she turned her journalling into a series of three novels that have since sold millions of copies worldwide. Only a handful of people know that the up and coming soccer star is also the individual behind the "Known Universe Series."
Relationships: Mallory Pugh/Original Character(s)
Comments: 130
Kudos: 208





	1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Members of the United States Women’s Soccer Team sit amongst thousands of others in the Staples Centre, all watching as the scoreboard clock counts down to the big event.

“I can’t believe we’re finally going to find out, who J. C. Glass really is!! I’m so excited!!”

“Chill out, Rose.”

“Oh, come on, it’s not as if you guys aren’t as excited as me about finally finding out the true identity of one of the greatest authors of our time!”

“That’s a bit of an overstatement, don’t you think, Rose?”

“Are you kidding me right now, KO?

“I’ll admit the books are pretty good, but there are still better ones out there.”

Emily, Andi and Lindsey put their arms around Rose, “It’s all good, Rosey, KO, just doesn’t know a good thing when she reads it.”

Kelley looks beside her at Alex and Allie, “What do you guys think of them?”

“I read them in a weekend and can’t wait for the movie version, I hear that Ryan Reynolds is going to be playing Dr Richmond in series.”

“Is Dr Richmond the one who tries to help them escape or is he the one who puts the chips in their heads, to begin with?”

“He’s the one who helps them, and you call yourself a fan!”

“You don’t have to mean about it.” Allie turns away from Alex and focuses on Ashlyn sitting on the other side of her.

“It’s really too bad that a lot of the girls couldn’t make it tonight, this is like a once in a lifetime kinda thing.”

“It’s not like a once in a lifetime thing, it is a once in a lifetime thing, and I can’t believe we get to be a part of it!”

Ali can’t help but laugh at how much her wife is currently fangirling.

“Do you think that we’ll be able to get our picture with and get him to sign my first edition of “The Known?”

“We’ve had this discussion before Ash, I still think it’s a woman behind the books and not a man.”

“How about a little bet?”

“What are thinking?”

“If it is indeed a female behind the books, then I will pay for supper; if it’s a man then supper is on you.”

“Ash, you are aware that we have joint accounts, right?”

“Just go with it, Ali, please?”

“Fine.”

“Hey guys, where’s Mal?”

“Oh, she said she was just going to the washroom and would be back; come to think of it, she’s been gone quite a while, maybe one of us should go and check on her.” Emily answers.

“How about you just send her a message and ask her current location?” Andi suggests.

“Right, we can do that.”

Rose takes out her phone and sends Mal a message

Where are you?

Got swarmed heading to the washroom, be back soon.

Hurry up, the clock just hit 20 minutes.

I’ll be quick.

Kk.

“They haven’t figured it out, have they?”

“Don’t worry, I told them I was going to the washroom and got swarmed, it should buy me some time.”

“You’re staying with me, right?”

“I’m not going anywhere; I’ll be with you every step of the way, Babe.”

“Thank you. I never would have been able to do this without you.”

They hold each other and kiss, careful not to smudge any of the makeup.

There is a knock on the door, “10 minutes until showtime.”

They make their way down the hall and wait backstage as the presentation begins.

“For the past several years one of the biggest questions on everyone’s mind has been,

“WHO IS THE REAL J.C. GLASS?”

“People all over the world have attempted to determine the true identity of the mysterious writer of “The Known,” “Into the Unknown,” and “Know How,” and failed! Tonight, in front of millions, the glass will be shattered and the true author revealed.”

A clip from the upcoming movie begins playing on the big screen and as the clock hits zero sounds of glass shattering ripple throughout the building, as a figure makes its way onto the dark stage.

Everyone stands and watches on as a beam of light, illuminates the figure.

“OH MY GOD!”

“NO FUCKING WAY!”

“IS THIS A JOKE?”


	2. Chapter 2

10 Years Previous

“Alright, class settle down.” The teacher enters the room, walks over to her desk and lifts up a paper, “So, it looks like we left off with David on Friday, so Charlotte, you’re up. Just a reminder that everyone is to turn their listening ears on and talking mouths off while your classmates are speaking.”

A hand goes up, “Yes, Jason.”

“Can I go out in the hallway, because these speeches have been so bad my ears have been bleeding.” The class laughs at the comment.

“Quiet. You have the choice of sitting here and quietly listening to the speeches or spending the class doing work in the office. Any volunteers to sit with Mr Tomlinson?”

The students shake their heads, none of them wanting to spend any more time than necessary in the company of Principal, who more often than not seems to forget to put deodorant on and always has pit stains.

“Good, then, let’s begin.” 

Charlotte Jennifer Gordon, or C.J. as most of her friends call her slowly makes her way up to the front of the class, for the dreaded public speaking portion of her English class.

Standing up there, she fiddles with the cue cards in her hands, taking some deep breaths and trying to picture her classmates in their underwear as her Dad told her too. Looking towards the brothers Grimm also known as Jason and David, she shakes her head trying to clear that picture out of her head.

She makes eye contact with her best friend, Matthew Finnegan aka “Finn” and he does his best job to reassure her that everything will be okay.

“You may begin anytime you’re ready, Charlotte.”

Standing in front of the group, she feels her heart rate pick up, and tears threaten to come to the surface.

“Look at her, she’s gonna cry, like the little baby she is,” Jason yells out.

“Jason, off to the principal’s office with you!”

Charlotte stands at the front, frozen in fear and then as the contents of her stomach threaten to re-appear, she takes off running out of the classroom and to the girl’s washroom.

She sits crying against the wall for God knows how long, before the door opens, and she feels someone sit down beside her, “Everything will be okay, C.J.”

Charlotte wraps her arms around her older sister and sobs on her shoulder, “Why can’t I do it, Kenz?”

Mackenzie holds her sister, “Some people just aren’t meant to talk in front of large groups, and it would seem that you aren’t. But you have something they don’t, and that’s the ability to bring words and stories to life on the page. I know you worked hard on your speech and I’m sure that Mrs Hamilton knows that as well; so what, if you don’t get to move on to the local competition, all that matters is that you tried your best.”

“Thanks, Kenz. But what about Mom and Dad?”

“Their heads are so far into their work and research right now, that I’m sure they don’t even know what’s going on with school and us.”

“It’s hard sometimes, you know, living up to the expectations that are placed on me because of who our parents are.”

“I know and don’t think that I don’t understand because I do; I didn’t understand something in Biology and put up my hand to ask the teacher a question, and I swear I saw jaws drop around me.” Charlotte laughs, “You actually didn’t know something?”

Mackenzie rolls her eyes and smiles at her sister, “Did I just ruin the perfect image you have of me?”

“You’re nowhere near perfect, Kenz.” They both laugh.

“How did you know where I was?”

“Finn came and got me. Do you feel up to going back to class now?”

“Not, really, Jason and David are probably just going to make fun of me again.”

“You need to learn how to just ignore those two meatheads, one of these days, they’ll get what’s coming to them.” Mackenzie stands up and reaches her hand down to Charlotte, and helps her stand up.

“Let’s get you washed up, and I’ll walk you back to class.”

Standing outside of the classroom, Charlotte hugs her sister before making the walk back inside and sitting down in her seat.

Finn looks over towards her, subconsciously asking her if she is alright. She looks over at her best friends since they were in diapers and nods. He nods and turns back to face the front and listen to the speech that is currently being presented.

With the bell just about to ring, the teacher stands up, “Charlotte, could you stay after class for a moment, please?” She nods and remains in her seat when the bell rings.

As the rest of the class quickly empties out of the room, with the exception of Finn, who slowly makes his way to the door, Mrs Hamilton takes a seat in front of Charlotte.

“It’s okay, I understand, it’s hard to get up there and speak in front of people, especially some of your fellow classmates, who belong in a cage rather a classroom.” Mrs Hamilton smiles and shakes her head, causing Charlotte to laugh, “Oops! Don’t tell anyone I said that, or I could be fired.”

“I won’t, don’t worry.”

“How about we make you a deal, I need to submit a mark and comments on your speech, how about you come back here at lunch and you can recite it in front of just me and perhaps, Matthew, if you like.” 

Charlotte nods, “Thank you. I’d much prefer that.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then, now, go ahead to your next class, before you’re late.”

Charlotte collects her binder and pencil case from the top of her desk, before heading out of the classroom.

“What did Mrs Hamilton want?” Charlotte jumps, not expecting anyone to be there.

“Finn, you’ve gotta stop scaring me like that, and I’m sure you heard what she said with your supersonic hearing.”

“I did, do you want me to come with you?” Charlotte wraps her arm in her best friend’s arm, “Of course, I do, remember we’re a package deal!”

Charlotte proceeds to recite her speech on the future, and the role computers will play in it for Mrs Hamilton and Finn during the lunch hour.

Mrs Hamilton smiles as Charlotte finished up, “Well done, Charlotte. Do you really think that in the future everyone’s lives will be completely mapped out from the time they are born until they pass away?”

“My Father and I were talking about it, and he seems to think that very soon we will all have chips implanted and that computers will rule us and that the need for choices will be taken away from us, as all the possible outcomes will all be broken down into percentages and numbers and they will dictate how we proceed, he calls it “The Known Theory.”

“Interesting, I hope there never comes a day when computers take over as teachers, because then I don’t know what I would do.”

“They would tell you what to do.”

“I guess if that’s the theory, then that would be what happens. Have a good afternoon, and I’ll see the two of tomorrow for hopefully, the last class of speeches.”

“Bye, Mrs Hamilton.”

“You don’t really believe all that stuff do you, Charlie?”

“It’s the basis of my Dad’s research, he seems to think it will happen; while, I prefer to think of it as just the storyline for one of the Sci-Fi books I read.”


	3. Chapter 3

9 Years Previous

Charlotte sits on her bed with her head buried in a book, a sight that her family and friends have gotten entirely used to over the years. She has a soccer game and is dressed and ready to go but needs to find out what will happen next in her book and can’t wait any longer.

“Charlotte, come on we’re going to be late for your game.”

“Yes, Mom, I’m coming.” She begrudgingly puts her book down, making sure that the page is marked for her return.

Her Mom, sister and she arrive at the field and after she gets her cleats on she joins the group where she sees Finn.

The Coach leads them through a warmup and some basic drills, before dividing them up into sides so they can scrimmage for the remainder of the time.

Charlotte knows it’s her time to shine, and as soon as the whistle blows, she steals the ball from a boy on the other side and begins weaving her way through them, before finally shooting the ball past the girl standing between the pylons. It’s a scene that repeats itself every single week and has since she was first signed up to play co-ed soccer.

After she scores yet another goal and the girl in the net is crying the Coach asks for a volunteer to put on the gloves. Finn accepts the challenge and straps on the oversize mitts while his best friend sets her sight on how best to make him look silly.

In the end, Finn does a pretty good job at keeping her from running up her goal count too much and in the process finds out that he really rather enjoys being in goal and being a goalkeeper.

They hug at the end of the time period, “Where’d you learn to play like that, Charlie?”

“My Dad and I used to play together all the time before he got busy with work and now that Kenz is playing as well, we play together.”

“You ever think that maybe you’re destined to be a soccer player rather than following in your Dad’s footsteps and becoming a computer nerd?”

“He’s not a nerd! He’s just brilliant and wears really thick glasses because he can’t see otherwise.”

“Anyways, I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Finn, I need to get home and finish my book.”

“Only one book? Don’t you usually have at least three on the go?”

“I finished my others, and I didn’t get to the library yet to get new ones. Do you want to go after school with me tomorrow to get some new ones?”

“You just want me to come along so I can help carry the stack you usually end up with.”

“I’m a girl, I’m weak and need a boy to carry things for me.” Charlotte smiles and playfully bats her eyelashes at her friend.

Finn laughs, “Yeah right, I’m sure that Jason would beg to differ on that.”

“He had it coming; he laughed at you when you got hit in the face and were crying because your nose was bleeding.”

“True, but you didn’t need to kick him there.”

“He hasn’t bothered you since, has he?”

“No, but now everyone thinks I’m a wimp because I need to have a girl to protect me.”

“You are a wimp, Finn.” Charlotte smiles at him as she runs over to where her Mom and Mackenzie are waiting for her.

Arriving home, Charlotte’s Mom asks her to take a seat so they can talk. Charlotte takes off her cleats at the door and then sit down on the couch.

“What’s wrong, Mom?”

“Charlotte, some of the parents weren’t happy with the way you played tonight, they don’t like that you don’t pass to anyone and continue to score goals.”

“There are all too slow Mom, and they just give the ball away and I like to score!”

Her Mom laughs, “I know you do, Charlie, but do you think you could take it a bit easier on the next time?”

“I’ll try, Mom. Where’s Dad? I want to tell him that I scored 7 goals tonight.”

“He should be home soon, how about you head upstairs now, get cleaned up and ready for bed; hopefully he’ll be home before you fall asleep.”

“Okay, Mom.” Charlotte hugs her Mom before heading upstairs to take a shower and change for bed.

“You get in trouble C.J.?” Charlotte turns to face her sister, who is standing in the doorway of her bedroom.

“Yeah, apparently, I need to stop scoring so much and pass the ball more often.”

Mackenzie laughs, “You only made two kids cry this week, so I would say that’s progress.”

“I was doing some research, and apparently there is an all girl’s team that I could play for next year in Massena, do you think Mom and Dad would go for it?”

“When have they ever said no to you? You’re a borderline genius, who devours information like I devour gummy bears and you’re a damn good ballplayer on top of everything. I wish I had even half of your talent or brains.”

“Don’t ever sell yourself short Kenz, you’re beautiful, smart and a pretty good baller yourself; I mean I had to learn from someone how to perform a ‘nutmeg because we both know Dad tries hard but is extremely uncoordinated.”

“True. Hit the shower, kid, because you need it.” Mackenzie walks into her room and closes the door while Charlotte heads to her own room and after removing her sweaty, grass-stained clothes throws them in the basket and then heads for the bathroom to have a shower.

A little while later as she is just finishing up her book, her Father appears in her doorway, “Hey, superstar, Mom said you had a good night at soccer.”

She sits up and reaches over to hug her Dad as he takes a seat on the side of her bed. “I scored 7 goals, Dad! 7! That’s more than I got last week.”

“Wow! That’s awesome, we got ourselves a future Abby Wambach on our hands.”

“I prefer Tobin Heath or Alex Morgan, Dad.”

“I stand corrected. So, I have a surprise for you. I have a presentation to do in a couple of weeks that will involve me flying to Houston for the weekend and I thought that being as though we really haven’t spent a ton of time together lately, you could come along and we could take in the sights and maybe a couple of museums. What do you think?”

“That’d be awesome, Dad, I can’t wait to tell Finn, where we’re going.”

“Oh speaking of Matthew, did your Mom tell you that we are going over there for supper on Saturday night, it’s game night!”

“Yay! I love game night!” Her father notices the book on her bed, “Where did you find a copy of 1984?”

“The used book sale that Mom and I went to when we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa.”

“And what do you think of it?”

“I think that there are a lot of parallels between it and your current research.”

“There very well maybe, but try not to become consumed by thoughts of the future like I am, okay?”

“Okay.”

Her father kisses her on the top of the head and stands up, “10 minutes until lights out. Have a good sleep Charlie, love you.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

Charlotte finishes reading the box and then takes the time to jot down her thoughts on it in her journal, before shutting her light off and calling it a night.


	4. Chapter 4

8 Years Previous

“C’mon, Charlie you got this!”

With 5 minutes left in their game against Potsdam, Charlotte and her Massena High teammates find themselves needing a goal to advance to the next round of the Senior Girls Soccer playoffs. After being taken down hard by the biggest player on the opposition in the box, Charlotte after receiving a shot of bio-freeze to her ankle takes to the spot and sets the ball down.

She looks to the stands and sees her Mom, sister and Finn cheering her on, but no sign of her Dad, even though he promised her he would be there for it. She takes some breathers as the referee reviews the rules and expectations with the goalkeeper.

As the teenage referee not much older than Charlotte currently is taking his place after finishing up with the keeper, he signals to Charlotte and she nods. Backing up, she awaits the sound of his whistle before running forward and sending the ball careening towards the far side of the goal. The ball flies in slow motion towards the goal and as it hits off the post and in behind the sprawling keeper, Charlotte hears screaming and feels herself being swarmed by her teammates in celebration.

“I knew you could do it!” Charlotte reaches out to high five her best friend on the team Catherine or as she prefers Cat. “Thanks, Cat. Now, let’s finish this game off.”

“Let’s do it, Captain!” Charlotte smiles as she looks at the band on her arm. It was a unanimous decision to make her the Captain of the team at the beginning of the season as no one else even came close to her skill level.

In her first year attending the school and playing for their team, Charlotte had smashed all of the scoring records for both the male and female teams and led her team to an undefeated season. The once shy girl who was unable to recite a speech in front of her class without crying had found herself and her confidence on the field, which then extended off it and now she was one of the most popular students. It made things easier that she always had Finn at her side and was thankful that neither was ever interested in each other as anything but friends.

As the referee’s whistle sounds, Charlotte’s face lights up and she runs back to celebrate the victory with her team. They shake hands with the other team, some of whom are wiping tears away after having been eliminated from the playoff bracket.

After the Coaches congratulate them and issue their final instructions, they send the players on their way.

Charlotte swaps out her cleats, socks and shin guards for some flip flops and then makes her way over to where her Mom, Mackenzie and Finn are waiting.

She hugs her sister, “Good game, Charlie, still making the girls cry with your mad skills I see.”

Charlotte laughs, “You know that’s how I rate my games, by the number of tears shed.”

“Nice goal, Superstar!” She laughs and hugs Finn, “You know I hate when you call me that.” “Would you prefer Tobin Jr?” “No!” Finn laughs, “I’m only kidding, I would never compare you to a player of her skill level… yet.” Charlotte shoves him causing everyone to laugh.

“You sure, you guys aren’t dating because you act like you are most of the time.”

“Not all of us are as fixated on finding our Prince Charming as you are Kenz. Finn and I are friends, that is all!”

Charlotte hugs her Mom, who has been quiet during the conversation, “Good game, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom, where’s Dad? He said that he would be here, he knew how important it was to me.”

“I’m sure he just got lost in his work, again.”

Charlotte shakes her head, “Stupid computers!”

Arriving home, Charlotte heads inside and is met by her father sitting at the table, with a couple of pizzas in front of him.

He walks over to her, “I’m really sorry I didn’t make it to your game, I had car issues and it took AAA forever to come and by then I knew I wouldn’t get there before it was over, so I decided just to grab some pizza and ice cream so we could celebrate.”

“You just assumed we would be celebrating?”

“I happen to know that the Captain of the Massena team is pretty darn good and she wouldn’t be happy with anything other than a victory; considering you are covered in grass stains and dirt but no tears I’m going to hedge my bet that you won.”

“Charlie scored the winner on a penalty with 5 minutes left in the game,” Mackenzie yells out.

“Nice! Up top kid!” Charlotte laughs as her father high fives her and then hugs her, “I really am sorry, I promise you that I will be at the next one.”

“I know Dad, I love you.”

“Love you to the moon and back, C.J.” 

Two weeks later, Charlotte and her team are back on the field watching the time on the scoreboard count down on their way to a definitive 6 -1 victory over Franklin Academy in the Final and closing out an undefeated season.

The opposing keeper sends the ball downfield, hoping to give her team one last chance on goal, but as the shot sails wide of the goal, times run out and after a quick tap from her keeper, the final whistle sounds out.

They celebrate and shakes hands before Charlotte is called forth to receive the “Player of the Match” award after scoring 3 of their goals as well as adding an assist.

After they receive their medals, the Captain is called forth to collect the Championship Trophy. Charlotte makes her way up and along with her teammates, they hoist the small cup in the air as if they were celebrating winning the World Cup rather than just a High School Championship.

Once their families and friends join them on the field they take pictures with them and the Trophy. Her father holding true to his promise didn’t miss another one of Charlotte’s games and showed up to the Final decked out from top to bottom in their team colours, complete with matching face paint.

Charlotte smiles and poses for a picture with her father and the trophy, not knowing at the time that it will be their last one together.

A few months later while at school and in class, the phone rings and after the teacher answers it, she speaks a few words and hangs up. Noticeably shaken she takes a few breaths before walking over to Charlotte and requesting that she collect her belongings.

“Matthew?” Her friend watches on, “Yes, Ms Armstrong?” “Could you please collect your belongings as well and walk Charlotte to the office.”

Matthew looks over at her and she nods, neither knows what is happening but both assume that it isn’t good if she is being called out of class.

They walk to the office together, “What do you think is going on?” Finn shrugs and as they get closer to the glass office they see both of their Moms in tears and Mackenzie buried in her their arms.

“Mom?”

“Charlotte.” Finn’s Mom starts, “Something has happened, when your father didn’t show up for a presentation, he was scheduled to make this morning, they sent someone to check on him and found him non-responsive. They believe he may have had a heart attack and died in his sleep.”

“NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” Charlotte finds herself having a hard time breathing and feels arms wrap around her as she falls to the floor.


	5. Chapter 5

7 Years Previous

Charlotte hears her name being called and drags herself out to the living area, collecting her running shoes and then taking a seat on the couch while she puts them on.

“You ready for your meeting?” Charlotte looks at her sister, “I don’t want to go, Kenz.”

“I know, but maybe it will help to be around other kids who’ve been through similar experiences.”

“I’m handling it, Kenz.”

Mackenzie takes her hand, looks in her eyes and shakes her head, “You aren’t, Charlie. It’s been six months, and you’ve barely left the house or your room aside from going to school. You’ve been isolating yourself, I know you’re hurting, I am too; but Dad wouldn’t want us to stop living because of what happened to him. He loved us and the best way to honour him and his memory is to keep doing everything that you did before. I haven’t seen you kicking a ball around, drawing or even writing since the funeral.”

“I just don’t have any motivation to do them right now, Kenz.”

“I get it; but you have to find a way to plough through, strap your cleats on and beat the heck out of ball if that’s what it takes.” Charlotte laughs, “Beat the heck out of a ball, really, that’s your advice?”

Mackenzie laughs and smiles, “It made you laugh, didn’t?” Charlotte nods, “Then, that’s a start, now, let’s go, Sis, before you’re late.”

Charlotte walks towards the door and looks back towards Mackenzie before taking a couple of deep breaths and making her way inside and down the stairs to the room number indicated on the handwritten sign.

She takes in her surroundings and makes eye contact with a few of her fellow group members before selecting a spot to sit down.

For the next forty-five minutes, Charlotte sits in place and listens as the teenagers around her talk about who they’ve lost and how they’ve worked towards moving forward. She listens to complete strangers ramble on about how their parents used to beat them, but they still love them and miss them and another talking about how their Grams was their best friend and recently died after a long battle with cancer.

Looking over at the old clock ticking away on the far wall, Charlotte counts down until it’s time to leave.

After a short spiel, all of the participants are handed notebooks and left with an assignment for their next meeting, “Write about the person that you’ve loved and lost.”

Charlotte rolls her eyes, shakes her head and thinks, awesome, just what I need more homework to do. She slips the notebook into her bag and then once they are dismissed heads out to find Mackenzie waiting in the parking lot for her. She climbs in the passenger seat and puts her belt on.

“How’d the meeting go?”

“It was okay, I guess, the snacks were good, but it was draining listening to them go on and on about random people, that I didn’t know and will never know and can’t relate too.”

“Maybe a group setting isn’t the way to go for you, perhaps a one on one would be better; did you take anything away from the meeting?”

“They gave me some homework to do, it’s to write about Dad. I guess if I can’t talk about what I’m feeling, then I can try and write it out.”

“I think that is a perfect idea. Now, Mom messaged, she is staying late at work, so it’s just you and me for supper; so, pizza?”

Charlotte nods, “I’ll make the call, we can pick it up on the way home.”

After they eat Charlotte heads to her bedroom, gets changed and then pulling the notebook out of her bag, stares at it for a few minutes before collecting a pen from her desk, cracking the cover and starting the process of placing words on the lines.

She becomes so engrossed in writing out the finer details of her Dad and their relationship that she goes from smiling to tears and then back to laughing in the process she writes nearly 20 pages, only stopping when her hand starts to hurt.

Seeing how late it’s now become, she places the book in her nightstand, plugs in her phone, shuts off the light and gets comfy under the covers before falling into the best sleep she’s had in quite a while.

Over the next several months, Charlotte continues to fill notebooks with stories, ideas and drawings about anything and everything. She begins to feel like the Charlotte of old and along with that her grades jump back up to the top of her class, she excels and leads the school soccer team to another Championship and starts drawing attention from not only University scouts but also from US Soccer.

She arrives home one day from school with Finn and finds her Mom deep in conversation with a gentleman wearing a US Soccer polo shirt.

Charlotte and Finn look at each other as her Mom and the Man rise to their feet, “Charlotte, can you come over here please, there’s someone you should meet.”

She walks over and the gentleman extends his hand, “It’s very nice to meet you Charlotte, my name is Andrew and I work in Talent Recruitment for US Soccer. I was just telling your Mother that you have the makings of a future star for the USWNT.”

Charlotte lights up with thoughts of possibly being able to pull on the Red, White and Blue uniform that her heroes currently and formerly wear. She shakes Andrew’s hand before she and Finn take a seat on the couch beside her Mom.

“What exactly does your visit mean?”

Andrew laughs, “It means that you are now on the Federation’s watch list and you are being extended an invitation to join the U17 USWNT Camp in Carson, California in a few weeks. Your Mom has all the details.”

Charlotte’s jaw drops and tears flood her eyes, “You’re serious?”

Andrew smiles and nods before standing, “I’ll leave you to discuss things over. I hope to see you soon Charlotte if you have any questions my number and email are on the front of the package.” Finn shows him out and then returns to the room finding Charlotte sobbing in her Mother’s arms.

“I’m going to head home, congratulations Charlie, I’m so proud of you; call or message me later.”

“Thank you, Matthew.” He smiles when Ms. Gordon acknowledges his comment.

The front door flies open and Mackenzie runs in, “Is it true?” Charlotte and her Mom both smile and nod.

“Oh my god! My sister is going to play for the US!”

“How?”

“I ran into Finn on my way in and he told me. This is so awesome! We need to celebrate!”

Ms. Gordon calls the Finnegans and they all make plans to have supper out a celebrate the news.

A few days later, Charlotte arrives home after school to an empty house and heads to her room to work on her homework. Looking at the background on her laptop of the solar system she touches the picture of the moon, “Love you to the moon and back, Dad. I miss you and I really wish you were here right now so I could share this news with you.”

Needing to feel close to her Father at the moment, she makes the walk down the hall to the closed door of his office. None of them has been able to enter the small room since his passing and Charlotte feels it’s time for that to change.

She opens the door and takes in the familiar sight and smell of the room. The leather couch where he often used to sleep rather than disturbing his wife if he worked late. The old wooden desk that was a family heirloom, adorned with family pictures and the walls filled with framed articles, certificates and diplomas.

Walking over to the desk she takes a seat in his chair and notices his scribbles on a nearby scratchpad. She pauses as and runs her fingers over where he had written the word “Known” and circled it many times.

A voice comes from the doorway, “What are you doing in Dad’s office?”

Charlotte looks at her sister, “I needed to talk to him and tell him how much I miss him and let him know about the invitation to the camp.”

Mackenzie nods and then takes a seat on the couch, “He used to spend so much time in this room, he said he felt inspired when in here. I tried working in here before and hoping that something would take over and help me complete my school stuff but never had any luck.”

“You must have done something right, you got into a Clarkson.”

“Yeah, but there’s only so long you can go before you need to declare a major and I still can’t decide what I want to be when I grow up.”

Charlotte laughs and jokingly replies, “Make you a deal when I become a famous soccer player, you can be my agent; provided you get your degree!”

“I’m holding you to that, superstar.”

“Please, don’t call me that, you know I don’t like it, Kenz.”

Mackenzie heads towards the door, “Uh-huh, now are you going to help me make supper or ?”

Charlotte stands up, “I’ll help, I’d prefer not to sick from your cooking again.”

Charlotte continues to find herself drawn to her Father’s old office and starts making a point of working on her homework and assignments in the room. Much like her father, she finds that it inspires her.

A couple of days before she is scheduled to leave for the camp in California, she is writing in one of her journals when her pen runs out of ink. Not wanting to walk back to her room, she opens the top drawer of the desk and finds a small box and card with, “Happy Sweet 16, CJ” written in her Dad’s handwriting on it.

She covers her mouth and catches her breath when she realizes that prior to his passing he had already purchased her a birthday present. One that has now been sitting in the door for almost an entire year.

Being careful not to rip it, she opens the envelope and pulls out the card

“Happy 16th Birthday, baby girl. May all your dreams come true. Love you to the moon and back, Love always, Dad.”

As teardrops cover the desktop, she slides off the ribbon around the box and upon opening it, finds a gold chain with a moon pendant attached. She takes it out of the box and after several attempts with her shaking hands she is able to put it around her neck. She runs her hand over the pendant, “I love you, Dad.”

She collects the card and box and brings them out to show her Mother and Sister.

Her Mom hugs her, “He was incredibly proud of both of you. He loved you very much and he often mentioned how much he hated the fact that his work took him away from all of us for long periods of time.”

“Dad, was a genius though Mom and his work on code duplication and transformation were instrumental towards providing the Government with what they needed to prevent a massive cyberattack.”

Her Mom shakes her head, “You always were the one who understood him and his work the best. He often mentioned that he thought that you would try and follow in his footsteps. But he didn’t want you to do that, he wanted you to follow your heart and play soccer.”

“He never told me that.”

“There are probably a lot of things we don’t know about your Father, perhaps we need to all sit down one night and talk about him and things.”

“I would like that, what about you Kenz?” Mackenzie having her mouthful gives a thumbs-up sign and nods. 

After sending her Mom on to work and Mackenzie to school, Charlotte sits and waits with Finn for her flight to be called.

“Any idea what number you’re going to choose?”

“I have to make the team first before I get to choose a number.”

“You’re going to knock their socks and shin guards off with your speed and skill.”

Charlotte laughs, “Thank you for always believing in me, Finn. Your my best friend and I love you.” They hug, “Love you too, although I don’t know why after all the mud pies you made me eat as a kid.”

Charlotte bursts out laughing, “You’re the one who always said they tasted like chocolate, I never forced you to eat them!”

“You know my Mom still brings it up every so often about how I threw up mud all over the kitchen floor.”

“Better on the tile than on the carpet, right?”

Finn laughs, “Yeah, I’m going to miss you while you’re gone. Who is going to laugh at all my bad jokes?”

“I’ll only be gone a couple of weeks, provided I make the team; if I don’t I’ll be home sooner.”

They hear her flight being called and exchange another hug before she picks up her carry on, “Finn?”

“Yeah?”

“#7” He smiles and nods as she keeps walking towards the gate.

Charlotte performs well at the camp and ends up making the final roster for the team’s friendlies against their counterparts from Mexico.

With matches being behind closed doors, the public is left to watch the live stream of the games on the US Soccer website.

The Finnegan’s hold a watch party at their house as they have a big screen that everyone can watch the game on.

In the first game, Charlotte is a second-half substitution but still manages to make an impression with a goal and assist in 30 minutes of gameplay.

She finds her name listed in the starting lineup for the second match two days later and ensures herself an invite to their next camp with scoring four goals and adding two assists during the second game. She plays the entire game and receives positive feedback on her play from the Coaching Staff.

She flies back across the United States and after a few delays and transfers finds herself landing in Syracuse and then waiting to catch a bus to Massena. 

Arriving in Massena in the early hours of the morning, she is surprised to find a small crowd cheering her arrival.

A young girl approaches her with her Mom, “Are you a celebrity?”

Charlotte smiles and laughs, “No, I’m just a soccer player.”

“I play soccer too! Can I get a picture with you?”

“Umm… sure, I guess so.”

The girl and her Mother walk away as Charlotte approaches her group and hugs everyone.

“Already a fan favourite, eh?”

“Huh?”

“The little girl.”

“Oh, I don’t think she had any clue who I was, just liked my shirt. Think we can get out of here, I’m exhausted!”

Mackenzie laughs, “Finn, get over here and carry her bags!”

Finn walks over and collects her suitcase and bag, “Where to m’ lady?”

“Home, please, Matthew.”

“As you wish.”

The kids head to Matthew’s car and drive home while the adults follow in Mr Finnegan’s car.

Once she gets home, Charlotte takes the time to change and then collapses on her bed.


	6. Chapter 6

** 6 Years Previous **

****

It’s Summer Vacation, and Charlotte has been enjoying some alone time in the house, with her Mom at work and Mackenzie out with her latest boyfriend.

Charlotte wanders into the office, which had now become a sanctuary of sorts for her. She takes a seat in the comfy chair behind the desk, closes her eyes, takes some deep breaths and feels the connection to her Father.

Opening her eyes, she smiles. Looking across the room, she sees her Dad’s old filing cabinet and her curiosity takes over with the need to know what, if anything it contains. Walking over to it, she finds the main drawer locked tight and realizes she will need a key to open it. After searching all over the room, she finally stumbles upon a mystery key taped to the back of a family portrait and decides to see if it will open the drawer. After a little playing around, she is able to get the lock to catch and then pulls out the drawer.

Charlotte is met with thousands of papers all categorized and arranged neatly in folders, she investigates further and finds that most of them are her fathers’ ramblings on about the “Known Theory” and how scientists and computers are one day destined to control the world.

Having always been captivated by her Dad’s ideas and research however far-fetched it always seemed, Charlotte takes ahold of the first few folders and sets them on the coffee table, before getting comfy on the old couch and starting to read the papers.

She is amazed by the depth and range of thoughts contained in her father’s chicken scratches and soon finds herself so immersed in reading that it’s only when her stomach grumbles that she realizes she has been in there for hours reading.

Sitting up, she places the papers back in the folder where they came from and after closing the office door, she heads out to the kitchen to get something to eat.

As she sits and eats her sandwich, her Mom returns with some groceries, so she slips on her shoes and helps bring in the bags and put stuff away.

“Mom, can I ask you something?”

Her Mom pours hot water over the tea bag and into the cup and then faces Charlotte.

“If you are wondering what we are having for supper, I already decided on chicken.”

“No, not that. I was in Dad’s office earlier and came upon his research and writings about the “Known Theory.” Some of it looked like an outline for a possible book or books, did he ever mention to you about writing one?”

“No, he never said anything to me about writing a book. But it would make sense that he would want to put all of his findings together.”

“I don’t think that was his intention at all, Mom. There are characters and possible plot lines, I think he was planning on writing a novel, like the ones I read. He always told me how much he enjoyed my short stories and comics, do you think it’s possible that the plan for it was for the two of us to work on it together?”

Carol Gordon met with the question, looks at Charlotte with tears in her eyes, “That sounds like something that Jason would have done. He always said that he thought you had the potential to change the world. I thought he meant on the soccer field, but perhaps he had something else in mind.”

Charlotte and her Mom hug and hold on to each other.

“What are you planning on doing now that you know about his plans for you, Charlie?”

Charlotte takes a deep breath, “I think that I owe it to Dad and myself to try and finish what he started.”

“Just make sure you don’t lose yourself in the process, so much that it takes away from you being you and kicking butt on the field and in the classroom.” 

Charlotte laughs, “I won’t, I promise, soccer is my dream, and I know that focusing on my studies will open doors for me and enable me to get an education while continuing to play my way up the US ranks. I won’t let you down, Mom.”

“You could never let me down, I love you so much, and although I don’t often say it, I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

A few days later, Charlotte using the outlines from her Father starts to develop a fuller and better picture of the Protagonist and Antagonist characters for the story an overview and possible ending.

She creates Dr Nathaniel Richmond, the Head and Lead Research Scientist of the Secure Future Foundation, whose entire life’s work revolves around developing and implementing microchips that are inputted in every human beings brain upon birth and track their every movement and thought.

After the information is secured from the chips, it is dissected and relayed back to the individual “telling” them how to proceed. The chips take away the individuals ability to “think” and “make choices” for themselves right down to matching them up with whom it deems to be the most suitable partner for them and their occupations.

As society progresses and transforms thanks to his creation, Dr Richmond begins to realize that what he once deemed as being the perfect future, where everything was known isn’t so perfect after all and begins to work towards restoring things to the way they once were.

She creates a secondary character, Dr Thomas Marleau a young and up-and-coming scientist, who is set to marry one of the lab assistants even though something in him just doesn’t feel right with the choice of partner. He struggles with the feelings and finally nearing his wit's end seeks counsel with his mentor, Dr Richmond. Together, they identify and exploit a weakness in the chip which allows Dr Marleau to finally understand that the reason he has never felt right about marrying his fiancée is that he isn’t meant to be with a woman after all.

Charlotte goes on to create additional characters that will all play roles throughout the story while using her family members and friends as inspiration for most of the parts.

With the basics in place and filled with inspiration thanks to her surroundings, Charlotte sets her laptop on her father’s old desk and opens up a blank document. After looking at the scratchpad still in place beside her, she begins typing, “THE KNOWN, By Charlotte J. Gordon.”

Chapter One 

From a young age, it was abundantly clear to everyone who came into contact with Nathaniel Richmond that he was going to be a force to reckon with…. 

Over the next 8 months, anytime that Charlotte wasn’t doing her schoolwork or playing soccer for her High School or the US U18 Team, was spent typing away and working on her novel.

She would take her laptop with her everywhere and when her roommate questioned her as they were laying in bed in a hotel in Spain, what she was working on she simply stated, “Homework” and was left alone.

As she progressed further into the story she realized that there was no way she would adequately be able to do justice to the storyline in just one book, so she began making plans for a second book.

One weekend in the early hours of the morning, Charlotte put the finishing touches on her masterpiece and after typing

“THE END OR IS IT?”

She saved the 300-page file, and after making sure the printer had both paper and ink, she hit the print all option and fell asleep on the old couch as the printer turned out page upon page until it was all done and stacked on the try.

Knowing how little sleep Charlotte had been running on since beginning the novel, Mackenzie finding her sister out cold on the couch in the morning brought a blanket in and covered her over before noticing the stack of papers sitting on the printer tray.

With the realization of what it was, Mackenzie quickly and quietly collected the papers and brought them into her room to begin the reading process. Charlotte hadn’t allowed any of them to see what she was working on, so this was the first time that her sister had even seen the name of the book.

As Mackenzie lays sprawled across her bed reading the story, their mother came in to check why her usually noisy daughter was nowhere to be seen or heard.

“What are you reading? Oh, my God! It’s the book, isn’t it? She finished it.”

Mackenzie nods and continues to read, passing the pages over to her Mom as she finishes them.

Reaching the halfway point of it and the twist, they are both captivated and spend the next hour reading the pages.

In the meantime, Charlotte wakes up and heads to the bathroom to empty her very full bladder and complete her morning routine. She notices both her Mother and Sister surrounded by papers and walks in yelling at them,

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING? THAT’S MINE! I NEVER GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO READ IT. GIVE IT BACK!”

They both look at her shocked both by her reaction and the fact that she doesn’t want them reading it.

Ms Gordon stands up and hugs Charlotte, holding her until she calms down, “Charlie, there are no words for your book, I’m simply blown away by it; it’s beyond amazing. Mackenzie and I haven’t been able to stop reading it, you should be extremely proud of your work. I know your father is smiling down on you right now.”

Charlotte looks at both of them, “You’re not just saying that are you?”

Mackenzie shakes her head as she continues to read, 

“C.J. I need to know, does Dr Richmond end up hooking up with Sarah?”

“You’ll have to wait until the second book to find out.”

“Second book?” Charlotte smiles and nods, “I’m going to call it, Into The Unknown.”

“What are you doing just standing there, get back in the office and get writing! I need to know what happens!”

Charlotte laughs, “And I need to take a break, Mom what’s for breakfast?”

“I think you mean supper, it’s almost 4 in the afternoon now.”

“Wow, no wonder I’m so hungry!”

“Yeah, you’re hangry, eat something and get back to writing!” Mackenzie yells while still looking over the pages.

“Mackenzie, leave your Sister alone. She will get to the second book in due time, so we both can find out what happens.”

Charlotte looks at her Mom, “Et tu, Mom?”

Her Mom smiles and wraps her arm around her, “Let’s get you some food and we can talk about the book and the fact that I think we should look into getting it published, it’s so good!”


	7. Chapter 7

** 5 Years Previous **

****

Charlotte and Finn are talking and laughing as they walk up the sidewalk towards the front door of the Gordon household. They stop when they see a stack of mail piled up neatly at the door and both know what it is.

Finn reaches over to hug her, “I’m sorry, Charlie.”

“It’s okay Finn, I’ve gotten used to the letters of rejection from the Publishing Companies. It seems that they just aren’t interested in the Known, maybe I should just quit well I’m ahead.”

“No! You’re my best friend and an amazing writer, they just don’t know what they have. We’ll figure it all out, I promise.”

“Thank you.”

“You can thank me with a signed first edition of “The Known,” when it comes published.”

“That, I will definitely, do. Can you help me carry this inside, please?”

Finn nods and helps Charlotte collect the stack of rejections and bring them in the house and then drop them on the table, beside the pile from the previous day.

They each grab a drink from the fridge and stare at the pile of envelopes on the table.

“Have you even opened any of them?”

Charlotte shakes her head, “No, after the first couple letters of rejection, I stopped opening them. It was too hard to keep seeing the same things written.”

“Can I open a couple and see, what is written?” Finn asks as he looks at Charlotte.

Charlotte shrugs, “Go ahead, I’ll be in the office.”

Charlotte opens up her laptop and hits the power button, waiting for it to boot up, the tears begin to fall.

“I’m sorry, I’ve let you down, Dad.”

Giving herself some time to calm down and focus, she begins working on the next chapter of “Into The Unknown.”

She stares at the screen, debating about how to proceed when Finn walks in the room with a letter.

“You should read this, Charlie.”

He hands her the paper, and she begins to read what it says and looks at Finn after completing it.

She smiles at Finn, “This is good, right?”

He nods, “It is. It basically means that they like the story, but don’t have a place for it at the moment, so they are suggesting you try other companies or self-publishing it.”

“My Mom has a friend who self-published her own series of children’s books, she sold them at different shows and craft fairs and such. They eventually caught the notice of a company and are now in some school libraries.”

“I wonder how much it costs to self-publish? I have some money left to me from my Dad, it’s supposed to go towards school, but I’m hoping to get a full ride, so I don’t need it.”

“Okay, new plan.” Charlotte looks at Finn. “You keep writing, and I’m going to head home and pick my Mom and Dad’s brains about everything.”

“Just remember to ask them to keep the details under wraps.”

“No, worries, I got your back, Charlie. So, that guy Chuck, he’s based on me, isn’t he?”

Charlotte smiles and nods, “You are my best friend, Finn and what better way to pay homage to that and us then to include you in my book as the loyal friend, lover and computer programmer.”

Finn looks at her eyes wide, “Lover?”

Charlotte laughs, “Oops! Spoiler Alert!”

Finn looks at the carpet and his socks, where a hole in one is suddenly fascinating.

“Finn, what’s going on?”

“Well, … I kinda like someone, and I was thinking of asking her to go to a movie with me. But, I don’t want to um… you know, make things weird between us. I know we don’t like each other like that, but still…”

“Finn, can I tell you something that I haven’t told anyone else?” He nods and looks at her.

“I think I like girls. No, I know I like girls.”

“I’ve known that for a while, why else would you turn down the opportunity to get with this?” Finn moves his hands up and down himself, causing them both to laugh.

“It doesn’t bother you?”

“Why would it? You are still the same person who has been my best friend, since forever. Nothing will change that unless maybe we end up liking the same girl.” He says as he winks at her.

“Are you going to tell me now who you like, Finnegan?”

“No, because you might steal her from me; because in case you didn’t realize it, you’re pretty cute for being a nerd.”

“You think I’m cute?”

“Okay, I’m leaving now before your head gets any bigger. Get back to work, and I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Bye, Finn and thanks.”

3 months later, while she continues to balance her studies and playing soccer, Charlotte puts the finishing touches on, “In The Unknown.”

She saves the file and then sends it to the printer, feeling sad that she had to sacrifice the lives of some of her characters in the interest of the greater good.

Once it finishes printing, she yells out, “It’s done!” And laughs when Mackenzie comes running in and scoops the papers from the printer, “Don’t mess them up!”

“I won’t.”

Mackenzie disappears, and Charlotte turns her attention back to her University applications.

Leading her school soccer team to its third straight undefeated season and State Championship has garnered her attention from all over the United States, and even a few clubs in Europe have inquired about the possibility of her joining them after she graduates. As much as she’d like to turn pro, the timing isn’t right and she made a promise to her Mom that she would get her degree first.

A few days later, she receives a phone call from US Soccer inviting her to their upcoming U20 camp in Tampa, Florida. She accepts the invitation and prints out the schedule and information as soon as the email comes through.

Heading out to the kitchen, she wraps her arms around her Mom and gives her a hug.

“You’re in a good mood, I take it that you got the call you’ve been waiting on?”

Charlotte smiles and nods, “Yep, I’m heading to the U20 camp, don’t worry, it’s during the break, so I won’t miss any school.”

Carol kisses her daughter on the top of the head, “I’m proud of you.”

“WHAT THE HELL C.J.! YOU KILLED SARAH OFF!” Mackenzie comes storming out into the kitchen, with the book in her hand.

“No spoilers! Some of us haven’t read it yet.”

“Sorry, Mom.”

After eating supper and helping to clean up, Mackenzie follows Charlotte into the office.

“Why did you have to kill Sarah off? Why couldn’t you have killed off that twit, Jody?”

“Because Jody is a background character with very little actual involvement in the groups' efforts to take down the Secure Future Foundation. Her death would have been pointless, whereas Sarah’s served as added motivation for Dr Richmond to keep going.”

“I get it, but I don’t like it! Sarah was awesome, and she and Nathaniel loved each other and were meant to be together and have a family together.”

Charlotte can’t help but laugh at her sister’s reaction.

“What’s so funny?”

“The fact that you are reacting so strongly towards the death of a character and storyline that I created.”

Mackenzie stops and looks at her, before laughing herself, “I guess that means it was another good story. Any thoughts on a third instalment?”

“Possibly, but right now, I need to focus more on soccer and school.”

“Hey, before I forget I’ve been doing some thinking…”

“That’s what that burning smell was.”

“It’s a good thing you’re my sister; otherwise, I would have kicked your butt right now.”

“I can take you, you’re a wimp!”

“Anyways, while we were discussing media and presentation in class, I started to think that perhaps rather than using your name as the author on the scripts we should create a pseudonym, that sounds cool and maybe it’ll generate some interest, also the fact that you are female couldn’t be held against you by the higher-ups in our male-dominated society.”

“Finn is working on designing a cool looking cover at the moment, while his Mom and Dad look after the revision and reformatting of it. I’m down with using a pseudonym if it’ll help, do you have any ideas?”

“I thought that you could go by J.C. Glaze or J.C. Glass.”

“Glaze and Glass are a play on the name being a pseudonym and transparency, while the J stands for Jason and the C for Charlotte.”

“I really like the idea of including Dad in the name. Glass sounds better than Glaze. Let’s do it, henceforth, I shall be J.C. Glass.”

The two sisters hug, “I love you, Kenz.”

“Love you too, C.J., I’m got homework, I should be doing, so I’ll see you later.”

“Night, Kenz.”

As her term nears its end, Charlotte puts the finishing touches on her assignments and begins reviewing and studying for her finals.

The next week as her peers run around and celebrate the fact that they now have a few weeks off of school, Charlotte is already walking home, knowing that in 2 days time she will be catching a flight to Tampa for US Camp.

Arriving at home there is a large box at the door, the realization hits of what the box contains and she quickly scoops it up and carries it inside.

She sends Finn a message, telling him to get his butt over to her place and awaits him coming through the door before she opens it.

10 minutes later the door opens and Finn comes running in, out of breath.

“Dude, you only live a couple of houses away how are you so out of breath?”

“Um… I wasn’t exactly alone or at home when you messaged.” Charlotte laughs at Finn who is now blushing.

“Take it things are going good with Paisley?” Finn smiles.

Grabbing a pair of scissors from the kitchen, Charlotte opens the box and reveals the fresh from the printers copies of “The Known.”

“Wow! These look beyond amazing! I can’t thank you and your parents enough for everything you’ve all done to help me.”

“My parents think of you like their daughter Charlie, there’s nothing that they wouldn’t do for you.”

Charlotte takes a copy out of the box and looks it over, “The cover design looks awesome Finn, I’m glad that Kenz suggested not using my real name; it gives it a more mysterious look to it and the colours you chose are perfect and the upside-down city looks so cool!” 

“You kept saying that they lived in an upside-down world because they were no longer able to make their own choices; so I thought it only fitting.”

They both look them over, “So, what happens, now?” Finn asks.

“Not sure, I guess we sit on them until I get back from Tampa and then figure out what to do with them.”

“Is it okay if I take a couple of these home with me to show my parents the finished product?”

“For sure. I should get to packing, but we are still on for pizza and family game night tomorrow, right?”

“Yep!” Finn collects a couple books and heads out while Charlotte can’t help but smile at them.

Two days later, she lands and is met by personnel from the US team, who lead her and a small group of players out to a van and drive them to the hotel.

Charlotte knows a few of the girls and they chat on the ride about different things before arriving at the hotel and finding out their rooming situations for the next week.

She listens in as they are all given instructions and then the rooms and pairing are called out

“…. Gordon / Pugh Room Room 402.” Charlotte and another girl walk forward and collect their keycards, before heading to the elevator.

They stand awkwardly in the elevator and when it reaches the 4th floor both get out and head to their designated room. Charlotte being the first one to reach it, inserts the card and opens the door, holding it for her roommate. Both walk-in and look at the two beds

“Any preference?” The girl asks and Charlotte shakes her head, “Okay, I’m going to grab the one by the window then, okay?”

Charlotte turns to really look at her roommate for the first time and smiles at the cute girl standing there. “It’s fine. I’m Charlotte by the way, but my friends call me C.J. or Charlie and I didn’t catch your name.”

The girl walks over to her and extends her hand, “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Mallory, but everyone calls me Mal.” 


	8. Chapter 8

Over the next week, Charlotte and Mal form a strong friendship and spend all their time not on the field or training together. Charlotte watches on as Mal get changed into her training gear and realizes that she is crushing on her friend and teammate. While they’ve talked about a variety of topics during their time together, their sexuality hasn’t been one of them and Charlotte doesn’t know how exactly to bring it up or if she should. In two days time, she will be heading back home and Mal will be returning to Colorado where she is from and then who knows when the next time will be that they see each other or if they will see each other again.

She is interrupted from her thoughts when Mal’s phone begins ringing, and she answers it, “Hey Babe, I can’t really talk I need to head to training soon.” “Yes, I know, love you too.” “Bye.”

Mal catches Charlotte watching her, “Boyfriend?” Mal nods before finishing getting ready.

Charlotte shakes her head and thinks to herself, “Of course, she has a boyfriend, I mean she’s funny, athletic and cute.”

“Charlie?” “Earth to Charlie, can you hear me?” Charlotte looks up, “Huh?”

Mal laughs, “I’ve been calling you for the past few minutes.”

“Oh sorry, I was distracted by something.”

“Obviously, let me guess a cute boy at home?”

Charlotte shakes her head and stands up, walking over to collect her stuff, “Ready to go?”

They head down to the lobby together and sit on the bus beside each other, Mal can tell something is up with Charlie but decides not to question it at that moment. Once they hit the pitch, Charlotte is back to being Charlotte, weaving in and out and through her teammates; Mal watches and smiles as Charlie ‘megs one of their teammates before scoring a goal for her team and puts the thoughts aside for the time being.

Later on, during the session and afterwards, it doesn’t really sit well with Mal when Charlotte is laughing and chatting with Ashley, another player on the team and they sit together on the bus ride home.

Back at the hotel, Charlotte hugs Ashley before making her way into the hotel room and finding Mal sitting on the end of her bed.

“Do you want to shower first? Or can I go ahead?” Charlotte asks the questions of her roommate, and when she doesn’t answer, she walks over and sits beside her.

“You okay?” Mal shakes her head and Charlotte not knowing what else to do wraps her arm around her and pulls her into her. “What’s wrong? What can I do to help you?”

Mal mumbles into her chest, “Just hold me.”

Charlotte does just that, and when she feels the wetness from Mal’s tears on her chest, she kisses the top of the girls head, “Whatever it is that’s bothering you, I’m here for you, Mal.”

“Can we lay down for a bit?” Mal asks softly

“We can, but you do realize that we both are in need of showers right?”

“I can handle it if you can.”

Charlotte laughs, “Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

They move up to the top of the bed, and Charlotte wraps her arms around Mal, still unsure as to what’s going on, but knowing that there is no way she is leaving her side right now.

Soon both of them fall asleep wrapped in each other.

They are awoken to knocking on the door, and after looking at each other and smiling, Mal gets up, walks over to the door and opens it, finding Ashley and Emily standing there.

“What’s up?”

“You guys didn’t show for supper, so we volunteered to come and check on you.”

“We both fell asleep, training took it out of us today.”

“We hear ya, anyways, you guys should grab something to eat and maybe it wouldn’t hurt to grab a shower before we have team bonding later in our room.”

“Thanks, we’ll see you then.” Mal shuts the door and watches Charlotte collecting clean clothes from her suitcase. “You heard?”

“Yeah. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving, I think I can handle smelling for a bit longer if it means eating while the food is still lukewarm.”

Mal smiles and nods, “Food is good, let’s go stinky.”

Charlotte laughs, “Takes one to know one.”

After just making it in before the food is put away, they load up and sit down, enjoying the time and quiet to themselves as the room is empty with all the players and Coaches having already eaten.

“Mal, can I ask why you were upset earlier?”

Charlotte sees Mals’ eyes start to glaze over with tears forming. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, it’s okay.”

“I like you, Charlie.”

“I like you too, Mal, but why does that make you upset?” Charlie asks the question and then realizes the answer before Mal can respond and her eyes go wide.

“Oh, you mean you like me as in more than a friend?”

Mal nods, and Charlie can’t help but light up in a big grin, causing Mal to give her a look.

“Mal, I like you as more than a friend, too, I have since the moment we met, but I don’t think it would be right for us to anything about as you have a boyfriend waiting for you at home.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right; I’m just feeling really confused about everything right now. How did you know?”

Charlotte laughs, “That I liked girls?”

Mal nods. “My older sister was always boy crazy and talking about how cute they were and stuff; I just never saw or felt the same way about them. I was more drawn to the girls in my classes or on my teams than the boys. Actually, my best friend, Finn, is a guy and he told me that he knew before I did that I was gay.”

“Gay, huh? Maybe I’m not gay, because I like guys too.”

“That’s something you need to find out for yourself, Mal, but know I’m only a call or message away if you want to talk.”

“You know Charlie, I almost turned down coming to this camp because I was feeling burnt out; between finishing school, playing a ton of soccer, and spending time with family and my boyfriend, I just haven’t felt like myself for a while. I really glad I didn’t though because I met you and I feel like we are going to be good friends.”

“Me too. I really think we need to head upstairs and shower because well I’m feeling pretty gross now and we have bonding soon.”

They clear their dishes and head upstairs, each taking a turn to shower and get cleaned up before joining their teammates for bonding. They are quite thankful that the chosen bonding activity for the evening is merely gathering and watching a movie together. Knowing that they all have testing to do tomorrow, they call it an early night and head back to their rooms, after watching just one movie.

Charlotte and Mal take turns getting changed and ready for bed and climb under the blankets, soon falling asleep.

When the alarm goes off in the morning, Charlotte attempts to move and finds that sometimes through the night she became Mal’s pillow. She smiles at the girl sleeping on her. “Mal, you need to move so I can turn the alarm off.”

Mal mumbles, “Don’t want to, you’re comfy and warm.”

Charlotte laughs, “You have to.”

Mal groans before moving off her, so Charlotte can finally stop her phone from beeping.

“Not that I mind, but how come you’re in my bed, Pugh?”

“I was cold, so I snuggled with you to get warm and fell asleep.”

They lay there for a few minutes with each other, before deciding it’s in their best interest to head down for breakfast.

In the line to get their breakfast, Ashley is standing behind Charlotte, “You and Pugh are cute together.”

“We’re not together.”

“Could’ve fooled me, by the way, you look at each other.”

Charlotte looks up, locks eyes with Mal and smiles before collecting her breakfast and taking a seat.

After completing all of their testing and recovery, the girls head into their final individual meetings with the coaching staff and are given a list of things to work on prior to their next camp, which will determine who will represent the United States in the upcoming U20 Women’s World Cup in Papa New Guinea.

Charlotte is called in, and they review her tests results and map her progress during the week. She is given a few things to work on as well as a nutrition plan to follow, which unfortunately for her, doesn’t include the greasy pizza from down the street on it. She knows it’s more for guidance than anything and promises to follow it to the best of her ability.

“So, Charlotte, we have received quite a few inquiries about you from schools.”

“Really? Can I ask what schools have contacted you?”

Michelle French laughs, “I had a rather longwinded conversation with the Coach from MIT, he is very keen on having you play for them, next season.”

“MIT! OMG! I feel like there is a but or suggestion forthcoming.” Charlotte looks towards the coaching staff.

“Stanford, Duke, Purdue, UNC, UCLA, and a few others have all contacted us about you, and we’ve given them all positive reports on you as a person and player. I understand that you would be a legacy if you chose to attend MIT.”

Charlotte nods, “My father went there and is an Alumni of Distinction Award winner. I honestly never thought I stood a chance of getting in there, so I kinda applied on a whim.”

“MIT is an amazing school but isn’t known for its soccer program. I would strongly suggest that if you are planning to pursue a career as a soccer player, you consider attending a D1 school.”

Charlotte nods, “I understand.”

“Good luck, Charlotte and we’ll see you in a few months.”

“Thank you.”

Charlotte walks out of the meeting feeling torn about her future. Should she attend MIT, if she receives an offer simply because it’s where her father went or should she follow through with her dream of becoming a pro?

Mal sees her walk in the room with her head down and immediately gets up off her bed, wrapping her arms around her.

“What happened?”

“Where are you going to school next year, Mal?”

“Ohh, I get it, the school and the future talk. I’m not sure yet, I’ve had a few schools express interest in me, but possibly UCLA, why?”

“Apparently, I should be preparing myself to make a huge decision about my future when I get home. I knew my test scores and grades were high, but I still guess I didn’t expect to have so many schools interested in me. It sounds like every school I applied to is interested in me, including MIT.”

“Okay, just how smart are you?”

“Let’s just say I have a perfect GPA in all applied classes.”

“Woah, smart, talented and cute. The perfect package.”

“You think I’m cute?”

“Don’t let it go to your head now, Gordon.” Charlotte laughs as Mal has to leave for her own meeting with the coaches.

Once Mal is back, they decide to head out with a group of the girls and do a bit of exploring and indulging prior to heading back to their homes the following day.

At the airport the next day, Charlotte and Mal hug each other and make promises to stay in touch, with Charlotte letting Mal know that as soon as she has made her decision about school, she will know.

They go their separate ways as Mal and then Charlotte’s flights are called.

As Carol Gordon pulls the car to a stop, she looks over and smiles at her daughter sleeping in the passenger seat.

She debates letting her sleep a bit longer but decides that the way Charlottes’ neck is currently positioned isn’t good for her.

“Charlotte?” “Charlie? Time to wake up, we’re home.”

Charlotte mumbles, “Sleep.”

Carol laughs, “You can sleep in your bed, you need to wake up now.”

Charlotte slowly opens her eyes and gets her bearings, “Was there snow here when I left?”

“No, a lot has happened since you’ve been gone. Now, c’mon, I can’t carry you.”

Charlotte gets out of the car and collects her suitcases, pulling them up to the front door and in as her Mom unlocks and opens it.

“Just leave them and go to sleep, it’s late.”

Charlotte nods and stumbles down the hall to the bathroom and then her bedroom. She notices a large box sitting in the middle of her bed.

“Mom, what’s this?”

Carol pops her head in, “Open it.”

Charlotte opens up the box and sees copies of “The Known” in it. She looks at her Mom in confusion.

“While you were gone, your sister and Finn were busy working their butts off promoting the book, and creating a “J.C. Glass Official Website.” We sold through the first batch of copies of “The Known.” that right there is the second batch, we doubled the initial order.”

Charlotte looks at her Mom with her eyes and mouth wide open in disbelief, “Wait! what? We sold through them? But how?”

“Mackenzie has been pedalling them on campus and managed to make a deal with the Manager of the book store there to display and offer them for sale. They sold out in a day and already have a pre-sale list for “Into The Unknown.”

“I…I…OH MY GOD!!!!”

Charlotte wraps her arms around her Mom and then runs to her sister’s room, finding it empty.

“Where’s Kenz?”

“She stayed over at a friend’s house, she’ll be home tomorrow, or I guess later today.”

“I’m completely blown away.”

“Figured you would be. Why don’t you try and get some sleep now and we’ll talk about things later.”

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to sleep now, I’m completely wound up.”

“Try to find a way, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Mom, love you.”

“Love you too, Charlie.”


	9. Chapter 9

It’s mid-afternoon by the time, Charlotte makes her way out of her room, to the bathroom and then out to the living room. She looks around and not seeing anyone heads to the kitchen to make something to eat. On the fridge, she finds a note from her Mom indicating she just popped to the store to pick up a few things and will be back shortly.

Charlotte makes some cereal and pours herself a cup of juice, before sitting down at the table. She notices a stack of envelopes on the end of the table and decides to investigate them. They are all addressed to her and from schools all over the United States and even one from England. Upon a closer look, she realizes that it’s from University College Oxford in England.

As she looks at all the emblems and names on the top corners, she begins to feel her heart race and has difficulties catching her breath. She drops the floor, sending the letters flying.

“Charlie, you awake yet?” Finn comes in the front door, that her Mom must have forgotten to lock on her way out.

She struggles to get out words, “Here.”

Finn seeing her on the floor immediately runs over to her and takes her hand putting it on his chest. “Focus on me and my breathing, slowly in and out. In and out, Charlie, you got this.”

The tears start to pour down her cheeks as she struggles to get her breathing under control.

“In and out, I’m here, focus on me.”

She finds by focusing on Finn’s eyes and breathing she is able to finally calm herself down and allows Finn to wrap his arms around her.

“You okay?”

“Think so, I couldn’t breathe, and felt dizzy, it was so scary.”

The front door opens and Ms Gordon seeing Finn and Charlotte on the floor puts her bags down and comes over to them.

“What happened? Are you both okay?”

Charlotte nods, “Finn helped me, panic attack.”

“You haven’t had one of those in quite a while, what triggered it?” She notices the envelopes askew and realizes exactly what the trigger was.

After Finn helps Charlotte up and on to a chair, they start talking stuff over and she tells them all about her week at camp and meeting Mal.

“So, how is it that I’m the last one to know that you like girls rather than boys?”

“Um… oops! Guess I kinda figured that if Kenz and Finn had both figured it out so had you, Mom. You don’t have a problem with it, do you?”

“You’re my daughter and I love you, there is nothing you could say or do that would ever change that.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“So, what are we planning on doing with all of these letters?”

“How about we crack them open and find out what exactly they are offering me. Anything less than a full ride, I won’t be accepting.”

Finn holds up an envelope, “You got into Oxford!”

Charlotte shrugs, “Guess so, I don’t know how I didn’t even apply there. Put it in the not interested pile.”

Finn looks at her like she’s crazy, “You’re turning down Oxford?”

Charlotte nods and Finn puts the letter in the discard pile.

Soon she is left with 4 schools to choose, who have offered her full rides. MIT, Stanford, Duke and UCLA.

“Mom, do you think Dad would be disappointed with me if I turned down MIT? I know it’s the best school academically, but it isn’t known for soccer and it may hurt my chances of playing for the US.”

Her Mom gets up from the table and collects the frame off the mantle containing the picture of her and her father with the Championship Trophy and puts it down in front of Charlotte. “Your Dad and I want you to follow your heart and if MIT isn’t talking to you then it belongs in the discard pile.”

Charlotte closes her eyes and touches the moon pendant around her neck, before looking at the picture in front of her. “No, MIT for me, into the discard pile it goes.”

“Why don’t you think about it a bit longer before you make your final choice.”

“I think that’s a good idea, I want to look over their websites and get a better idea of what I’m possibly getting myself into.”

“Matthew, didn’t you have something that you wanted to get Charlotte’s approval on?”

“Oh, right I totally forgot why I came over here in the first place.”

Finn takes out his laptop and gets it set up to show Charlotte the new J.C. Glass Official Website.

“It’s pretty empty right now but I’m hoping that soon we can get some testimonials about your books and add more content to it, including promoting “Into The Unknown” and whenever you decide to write the next book we can add it as well. Let me show you something, I hope you like it, I worked hard on it.”

“Finn, I’m sure I’ll love it if it’s from you.”

“Ms Gordon would you like to come and look at this please, I could use your input as well.”

“Of course, Matthew.”

“Ready?” Finn takes on the screen nervously, “I just finished this a short time ago.”

(Insert Cover Art for Into The Unknown Here)

“Holy crap, Finn, it’s insane!”

“Insane good or bad?”

“Insanely good, you dumbass.”

“What do you think Ms Gordon?”

“As Charlotte already said it’s really good. I like it better than the one you created for The Known.”

“I’m glad you like it, now I only need Mackenzie’s approval and once the script come back from being edited we can get it printed and for sale.”

Once Mackenzie returns, she gives the design her stamp of approval and then gets to work filling Charlotte in on the latest goings-on with her book.

“So, not to pressure you or anything C.J. but have you started thinking about the next book in the series?”

“I have, but right now I’m focusing on finishing out school at the top of my class, choosing the right University, trying to make the US for the World Cup and maybe getting a girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? Wait did I miss something?”

“You missed a lot, Kenz, but I’ll fill you in if you tell me how the heck you managed to sell 500 books in less than a week.”

“Have you seen me? I’m cute, and the nerd boys and probably some girls like me so they’ll buy anything I offer them, not to mention I think I finally found what I want to do with my life. You always said I could be your agent when you made it big well, I’m sure as heck not going to school to learn all the legal mumble jumble but I’ll gladly look after the promotional aspect of your career or careers I guess.”

“As long as you stay true to your word that no one knows who is really behind the books, I’m fine with that.”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ve been telling a ton of different stories about who J.C. Glass really is – I’m sure I’ve confused the heck out of them. Future reference Sis, you may or may not be an astronaut, a high school teacher, stay at home Mom or in jail.”

Charlotte laughs, “What am I in jail for?”

“I honestly don’t remember what I said. So back to this girlfriend discussion, who is she?”

“She isn’t my girlfriend, Kenz, she is a girl that I like and her name is Mallory.”

“Aww, little Sis is growing up, she’s got her first crush.”

Charlotte noticing Mackenzie taking out her phone and typing in something, “What are you doing?”

“Searching for Mallorys that attended US Camps recently, so I can see what kind of taste you have.”

Charlotte turns to look at their Mom who has been watching and listening on, “Mom, make her stop, please!”

“Mackenzie, her last name is Pugh.”

“Really, Mom?”

“That makes it easier. She’s cute.” Mackenzie turns her phone so their Mom can see the picture of Mal that came up.

“Can we stop now, pleeeease!”

“Awww, look at her blush!”

“Keep it up Kenz and I’m not writing Know- How.”

“Okay, I’ll stop!”

Charlotte laughs, “Thought so.”

A few days later and Charlotte returns to school for the start of her next and final term. She still hasn’t decided which of the offers she is going to accept but is leaning heavily towards Stanford and chasing a degree in Engineering, specifically in the Aeronautics and Astronautics field.

She had considered UCLA as well, with the chance of being able to play alongside Mal strongly working in their favour, but Mal let her know that she was instead looking into going pro rather than attending University, so that put a kibosh in that plan. It also didn’t help that Charlotte found out that Mal was still with her boyfriend and not considering breaking up with him anytime soon.

After talking over everything with her instructors at school, Charlotte accepted Stanford’s offer of Fall admission.

Now, all that was left to focus on was graduating top of her class and making the US roster, should be a calk walk right? Or so she thought. 


	10. Chapter 10

It's a few months later and Charlotte is edging ever so closer to finishing High School. She honestly can't wait for it to be over with, so she can focus on her future outside of the small town and small-minded people.

Tired of dealing with the whispers in the hallways condemning two girls in a relationship, Charlotte had enough one day and made a point of outing herself while calling the other students who were making the comments, narrow-minded bigots. Needless to say, her Mom got a call from the principal and had to come to the school to smooth things over so she wasn't in jeopardy of losing her scholarship to Stanford.

Charlotte sits in the chairs reserved for the "bad kids" outside of the office and waits for her Mom to come out of the office.

Carol Gordon emerges and shakes the principal's hand before walking over to Charlotte. "Grab your stuff from your locker and I'll meet you at the car. We'll talk when we get home. Don't worry, you're not in trouble, I just decided you deserve an afternoon off to chill."

Charlotte looks at her Mom and smiles, before nodding and heading off in the direction of her locker.

Charlotte runs into Finn in the hallway, "Did he suspend you? Is that why you have your stuff? Because if so I'm going to give that dumbass a piece of my mind, he can't treat you like that and not punish the ones who started it by calling Stacey and Allison, dykes and lesbos."

"I appreciate your support, Finn, but I'm not in trouble, so you can relax. My Mom just told me that I deserved an afternoon to chill, so she's taking me home."

"Oh, okay. So, I'll see you after school then and we can go over the final edits for, "Into The Unknown," before it goes to print and get the website updated."

"Sounds good, I'll see you after Finn."

Charlotte heads out to her Mom's car and they drive home in silence. Entering the house, Carol suggests that they should chat about the fact that Charlotte informed the student body that she was gay.

"Mom, I don't need to talk about it; I'm fine. It's who I am and I don't feel that I should have to hide it. I just couldn't continue to stand by and watch what was happening to Stacey and Allison, they aren't doing anything wrong and people were being idiots towards them because they held hands and kissed each other on the cheek."

"And that's exactly what I told that Principal of yours, they weren't doing anything wrong, nor were you; you were simply standing up against perceived injustice. He assured me that the students involved would be reprimanded and calls to their parents made. Now, put down your books, phone and leave your computer alone for a couple of hours. Why don't you try drawing or painting? You haven't done them for a while."

"Does it count that I drew out the characters and plotlines for the books?"

"No! No more talk of the books, for now, go relax Charlie. I'm heading back to work but I'll be home in a few hours."

"Okay, love you, Mom."

"Love you, too. Be good!"

Charlotte laughs as her Mom heads back out.

Sitting on her bed, with a sketchbook and a pencil, Charlotte starts to doodle and soon realizes that it's taking the form of a certain soccer player that she is crushing on but knows she doesn't stand a change of making hers. She rips the page out and scrunching it up throws it towards the garbage can, banking it off the rim and watching it hit the floor and joining the small army of paper balls already there.

Closing the book and putting the pencil down, she decides that perhaps a nap will help, but her brain is swirling a million thoughts per second. She tries to recall the breathing and meditation techniques that she was taught when originally diagnosed as having anxiety issues. Slowly, she is able to bring herself to a point of relaxation and eventually falls asleep.

Opening her eyes, she looks over at the clock on her nightstand and realizes that she slept longer than she thought. She yawns and stretches out before heading to the washroom and out to the living room, where she finds Finn sitting at the table working on his computer.

"Umm... Finn, how did you get in here? Pretty sure I locked the door."

"You forgot how long we've been friends and neighbours and the fact that I know where the spare key is hidden."

"Oh, right. What are you working on?"

"Just reading some of the comments that people have posted about "The Known." Most people are hoping that Dr Richmond and Sarah end up together and can't wait to find out what happens next."

"Guess, they are going to be disappointed to find out what really does happen to her."

"Seriously, though you couldn't have made some else the Guinea Pig for the experimental technique? Because honestly, I was on team Narah as well."

"Narah? Oh my God! You created a shipname for them, didn't you?"

Finn laughs, "Actually, it was Kenz who coined it first, but it seems to be taking off along with people trying to figure out the identity of the J.C. Glass. Don't worry there is nothing with your name on it, we've all been careful in that respect."

"Well, considering your Dad had my Mom and I sign a contract with him, so that he could officially act as our legal representation, and protect my identity, I would hope so."

"Yeah, I guess it's handy that my parents are a lawyer and English teacher, so they could both help with the books, along with me, your resident computer nerd and Kenz, well I'm not entirely sure what she does, but the books are selling, so it's all good, I guess. Now, take a look at this comment."

"I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading The Known and I can't wait to see what the future holds for Dr Richmond, Dr Marleau and the rest of the characters. #Team Narah."

Charlotte laughs, "I guess the name could be worse. So, what do I need to review?"

"Mom went over it again and did some editing, it created a break and additional chapter."

"Oh, okay, let me see."

Charlotte reads through it and agrees with the placement of the break and subsequent changes.

"Looks good to me."

"Can I give the go-ahead to send it to print then? Because if I do it before they close today then we'll get a bulk discount price."

"Bulk discount?"

"Yep, 2500 copy initial run."

"Holy crap! are you serious?"

"Congratulations, you are finally in the black or should I say your bank account will be once will start selling these. Maybe you should consider not going to Stanford and instead just become an author."

"I'm fairly certain, my Mom would disown me if I did that, not to mention I don't think I could live off of selling a couple of thousand books, even though that's bloody amazing to even think about."

Finn laughs, "It really is amazing."

"Is that all you need from me? Because if so, I'm going to get changed and head to the field for some touches before supper. Do you want to come along or is your girlfriend expecting you?"

"N'ah, Paisley is doing girl things with her friends. Let me finish up here and I'll head to the field with you."

Charlotte heads into get changed and collect what she needs for the field and then her and Finn head out.

A few weeks later and Charlotte along with her Mom, sister and Finn are all anxiously sitting and waiting for her phone to ring.

"How much longer do you think it's going to be? I have plans soon."

Charlotte looks at Mackenzie, "I don't know, I thought I would have gotten the call already, Maybe I didn't make the roster."

"C.J. they would be absolute idiots not to include you on the roster for the training camp for the U20 World Cup."

"Thanks, Kenz."

Charlotte gets up to get a drink from the kitchen and at that moment, her phone lights up begins ringing. She looks at it stunned before Mackenzie yells at her, "Answer your damn phone before I do!"

Charlotte takes a breath before pressing the button and answering, "Hello."

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Thank you, I won't let you down, Coach."

"See you then."

"Bye."

"I made it! Now, I only need to work my butt off to make the team."

"Congratulations, Charlotte, this calls for a celebration! Pizza and a movie!"

Mackenzie looks at their Mom as she says it, "Way to be wild, Mom. Anyways, congrats C.J. and I'm out."

Mackenzie and Charlotte hug before the older sister heads on her way.

Carol sits down with Charlotte and Finn, "Are excited that you only have a month left of school?"

"Actually, it's more like 3 weeks, by the time you take into account exams and all the Graduation stuff."

"You got your Valedictorian speech written yet, Charlie?"

Charlotte looks sheepish, "I've had it written for about a month now."

"Of course, you have. So, any progress on the Mal front?"

"No, we've been exchanging messages, but that's about all."

"Is she going to be at the camp?"

"I would assume so."

"You going to make your move if you see her?"

"Finn, I've already told you she has a boyfriend."

Finn passes Charlotte her phone and she looks at him, "Go on Instagram and look at her profile. I know you follow her."

Charlotte does as Finn says and notices the last few posts indicate trouble in paradise between her and Dansby.

"I ask again, are you going to make your move?"

"I'm not interested in being her rebound, Finn."

"You can't score, if you don't shoot, Charlie." 


	11. Chapter 11

One Month Later

After having graduated as her class Valedictorian, and taking with her a collection of trophies and awards for both academic and athletic achievement, Charlotte walks across the stage to collect the piece of paper that seals that chapter of her life.

She turns and smiles as her Mom and Mackenzie along with the Finnegan’s take pictures of her taking her last steps in High School. Today will be about celebrating her and Finn’s accomplishments and tomorrow starts her new path towards making the U20 Women’s World Cup team.

“I’m so proud of you Charlotte.” Charlotte hugs her Mom as the older Gordon wipes at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Thank you, Mom, for everything.”

“You’re welcome.”

Charlotte smiles as she sees Finn coming towards her and wraps her arms around him, before kissing him on the cheek, “We did it, Finn.”

“Yeah, we did, not a moment too soon either! Things have been pretty awkward in the hallways since Paisley and I broke up.”

“I thought the break up was mutual, so why would it be awkward?”

“Well, actually she dumped me when I informed her that I decided to go to Duke over UNC.”

“Why it’s not like you would be across the country from each other, you’d be like what a half hour or so apart.”

“I think she grew tired of the fact that I spent so much time with you rather than her.”

“Sorry, Finn.”

“It’s okay, you are my best friend and whoever I end up with needs to understand that.”

Charlotte hugs him again.

“You leave in two days for camp are you ready? I mean, to see Mal, because we already know you’re making the team.”

“Considering she has now deleted all mentions and pictures of Dansby from her Insta and Twitter, yeah, I’m ready.”

“Someone’s been stalking I see.” Charlotte laughs, “Maybe a little.”

Finn laughs, “Just make sure you use protection.”

“You’re one to talk, I don’t want to hear of any little Finn’s swimming outside the pool.”

“Eww. Point taken and don’t worry I’ve been smart about it, plus Paisley is the only girl I’ve been with.”

“Are you going to be okay with me being gone?”

“Contrary to popular belief my life doesn’t revolve around you or your alter ego, I’ll be fine; plus, you’ll only be gone 10 days.”

“And then another two weeks + while the tournament is happening.”

“It’s gonna suck not being able to watch you play.”

“I’m sure that they’ll stream the games.”

“Hope so, because I want to see #7 on the US kicking ass.”

Two days later, Charlotte along with her Mom and Finn wait for her flight to Tampa to be called.

When they finally see the screen light up and the announcement made that it is boarding, they hug before Charlotte makes the solitary walk to the gate, shows her pass and then boards the flight.

As Charlotte gets settled in for her first flight of the day, she has no way of knowing that Mal is currently also en route to Tampa and they will be landing within minutes of each other.

Charlotte’s plane lands in Washington and she makes the transfer on to Tampa, putting her head back and hoping to catch some sleep on the flight. Not being to sleep, she opens her eyes and looks around at the rest of the passengers until something catches her eye across the aisle.

She leans over, “Excuse me, what book are you reading?”

The girl a bit older than her turns and smiles, “Oh, it’s called The Known, it’s really good if you like futuristic romance. It’s my sister’s but she let me borrow it.”

“Never heard of The Known, who’s the author?”

“Someone named J.C. Glass, it’s funny no one seems to know who the actual author is, it’s a mystery in itself.”

“Cool, I like, mysteries, maybe I’ll have to check it out.”

“You definitely should, there’s apparently a second book in the series as well; my sister has been trying to get her hands on a copy but the bookstore at school keeps selling out of them because it’s so popular.”

“That’s too bad, I’m sure she’ll get one soon. I’ll let you get back to your reading, thanks for the recommendation.”

Charlotte can’t help but smile to herself, but also makes a mental note to check in with Mackenzie and Finn about copies not being available.

A few hours later, Charlotte collects her suitcase and bag from the conveyor belt and then sets off in search of the rep from US Soccer that is to meet her. As she walks and pulls her suitcase along, it hits something and turns on its side. She turns around to see what happened and comes face to face with a grinning Mallory Pugh.

“Long time no see.”

Charlotte sets down her stuff and walks towards Mal hugging her. They hold on to each other and smile before separating. 

“You look good.”

“So, do you. You ready for this week?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, you?”

“Yep. Any idea where we are supposed to meet the team rep?”

“Nope, maybe if we walk around someone will look familiar.”

After 10 minutes of looking they find the rep and are directed out to an awaiting van while they wait for a few more arrivals.

Charlotte and Mal sit beside each other, and it feels natural them being back together.

“So, I saw the pictures you posted on Instagram of your graduation, looks like you collected a ton of hardware.”

“Yeah, I cleaned house in most of the academic and athletic categories for Seniors. So, what’s been happening with you since we last chatted?”

Charlotte looks at her and subconsciously hopes that she comes right out and says that she and Dansby broke up.

“Finished school, like you and my future is still in the air at the moment. I’m looking at delaying my admission to UCLA so that I can give my full attention to training for the U20 World Cup and also the Olympics.”

“I heard you called up by the Senior team, you deserve it; you are the best player that I have ever had the opportunity to play with.”

“You’re so sweet, Charlie! I’ve really missed you and our chats.”

“I’ve missed our chats as well, Mal.”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

Charlotte shakes her head in response to the question and then looks Mal straight in the eyes, “No, the only girl I’m interested in hasn’t been available and I refuse to settle for second best.”

Mal blushes, “Dansby and I broke up.”

“I would say I’m sorry to hear that, but it would be a lie.” Charlotte whispers in Mal’s ear causing her to react to it and take a breath.

“We broke up because I told him that I had feelings for someone else.”

“Oh, well, I hope that someone else knows what they have in you.”

Mal raises her voice, “Enough, Charlie, I’m trying to tell you, that I like you, okay?”

Charlotte laughs, “Took you long enough, Pugh.”

Mal punches her arm, “You’re a jerk, you know?”

“Yep, but you like this jerk, don’t you?”

Mal nods, “I do.”

A voice pipes up, “We get it, the two of you like each other, now what are you planning on doing about it?”

Charlotte looks over and sees Ashley, Emily and Katie all waiting for an answer. She looks at Mal seeking permission and is met instead by a set of lips meeting hers and cheers around them.

Charlotte and Mal separate and smile at each other before hugging and holding on for the balance of the ride. 

Arriving at the hotel, they find out the room pairings are the same as the previous camp, which makes both Charlotte and Mal smile with the realization that they are going to be together.

They collect their keycards and walk together to the elevator and enter the room, dropping their suitcases and then laying down on a bed together.

“Are we choosing this bed to sleep in or the other one?”

“What makes you think we’re sleeping together, Mally, we’re not even dating yet.”

“Mally?”

“Yeah, I know you don’t really like it when I call you, Pugh.”

“You can call me whatever you like as long as I get to call you my girlfriend.”

Charlotte sits up and looks down at Mal, “I don’t want to be your rebound, Mal, I know you were with Dansby for quite a while.”

“You aren’t, I promise, I think we were over the moment I met you the first time. I tried to fight what I was feeling when I got home and it made me miserable. I talked to my sister about what was happening and she encouraged me to stop fighting and start embracing the feelings. I broke up with Dansby and then told my parents that I liked a girl and hoped she liked me too. Just so you know, my father will probably insist on having the chat with you somewhere along the line.”

“The chat?”

“The what are your intentions with my daughter, chat.”

“Ohhhh. Now, I’m scared.”

“Don’t be, my Dad is really a teddy bear, his act is all a show. So, will you be my girlfriend?’

“On the condition that we keep our relationship on the down-low, I don’t want it affecting either of our chances of making the team or in your case, teams.”

“I can agree with that rationale.”

“Good, now can we get back to kissing?”

They exchange a few kisses before a knock on the door reminds them, that they should be downstairs for team supper.

They walk out of the elevator towards the room

“Now, remember, act natural.”

Mal looks at Charlotte and laughs, “Yeah, 'cause you’re the expert at acting natural.”

“You can always sleep in your own bed tonight.”

“Sorry, I’ll be good.”

Charlotte gives her a shocked look and Mal looks back at her, “What?”

“I didn’t expect that to work, that’s all.”

“Oh.” They both laugh and then walk in the room and take their spots in the food line.

They sit down, eat and catch up with their teammates and then have a short meeting, where the rules, expectations and schedule are discussed before they are dismissed for the evening.

Back in their rooms afterwards, Charlotte checks in with her Mom, Mackenzie and Finn before turning her attention to Mal. She admires from afar her while she talks on the phone to her parents, and then collects what she needs to get ready for bed before heading into the bathroom.

When she comes out Mal is sitting on the bed, waiting for her, “Everything, okay?”

“Yeah, just I told my parents that we were roommates and they weren’t exactly keen on the idea.”

“Really? We’re both, almost adults and if we want to have some fun, we would find a way to make it happen, not to mention it’s not as if either one of us is going to end up pregnant.”

“Would you like to explain that last thing to my Dad?”

Charlotte’s eyes go big, “Nope, I’m good! I’m a virgin for God’s sake, I don’t want to have a sex talk with your Dad.”

“You’re a virgin?”

Charlotte nods, “I’m assuming you aren’t.”

Mal shakes her head, “I was with Dansby.”

“I figured as much, lucky guy to have you.”

“Don’t be jealous, you have me now and we can be each other’s firsts.”

“But…”

“You know what I mean Charlie, not my first time, but my first with a woman.”

Charlotte listens to what Mal says and clues in that Mal wants to have sex with her. This week just got a lot more interesting she thinks as Mal heads into the bathroom to get changed and ready for bed. 


	12. Chapter 12

Waking up before the alarm goes off, Charlotte realizes that sometime during the night Mal's hand slide underneath her shirt and is currently placed on her stomach.

She feels the thumb start to rub against her abs and lets out a low moan in response.

"Wow, is that all I have to do to make you moan?"

Charlotte laughs before turning to face Mal, "How'd you sleep?"

"Really well, you?"

"It's easy to sleep when you realize that, the beautiful girl who has consumed your thoughts since you met each other is now sharing a bed with you."

"You're something else, you know that, Charlie?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just that you're not like anyone I've ever met before. I feel like I could concur the world with you and you would be there to support me every step of the way whereas most people are more focused on themselves and getting ahead by any means necessary."

Charlotte smiles and wipes a hair away from Mal's face before kissing her, "My father always used to tell me that from the first moment, he met my Mom he knew that she was the one he was meant to be with; I feel that way about you, Mal, we were destined to meet, be together and support each other until the very end."

"Who are you really, Charlotte Jennifer Gordon? Because you're definitely from around here."

Charlotte laughs, "We have all the time in the world for you to find that out, Mallory Diane Pugh. And..."

They both bust out laughing as their alarm interrupts the conversation. Charlotte reaches over and shuts it off, "Apparently, we don't have time right now, but this conversation is to be continued."

"Definitely."

The couple both take their turns in the bathroom and getting ready separately before heading down for breakfast together.

"Look who finally decided to join us."

They know their teammates' eyes are on them as they join the breakfast line, load their plates and then take their places at a table with Ashley and Katie.

"How'd you guys sleep?"

"Good, you?"

"I forgot to bring a pillow with me and the hotel ones are all too fluffy for my liking."

"That's too bad, Ash, my pillow was perfect last night." Mal smiles at Charlotte as she says it causing her to blush and look down at the table.

"You owe me a drink, Kate." Katie nods to Ashleys' statement and Charlotte and Mal look at them.

"I bet Katie that you would share the same bed while you were here and she said you wouldn't; based on the fact that Charlie is blushing I'm betting that she was the pillow last night, correct?"

They both nod, causing the others to laugh.

"You guys looking forward to testing today?"

"Does anyone ever look forward to doing the beep test?"

"I like the beep test." Charlotte answers and Mal shakes her head. "You're weird." Charlotte nods making them all laugh. "You have no idea, how weird I can be."

The spend the remainder of their day going through a variety of tests to determine their overall levels of fitness heading into the camp. Charlotte and Mal are in different groups but find each other across the room throughout the balance and smile.

"You guys are so cute it makes me sick!"

Charlotte pushes Ashley, causing them both to laugh.

Once they are done testing, they put their pullovers back on and head to the bus which will take them back to the hotel for recovery, showers, supper and then after supper team bonding in Ashley and Katie's room.

Mal can't stop herself from laughing at the borderline swear words coming out of Charlotte's mouth as she slides into the ice bath.

"I'm not a polar bear why do I need to do this?" Mal laughs. "You know why, you're just being a goof."

"Yeah, well just because I live where we get snow, doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You do remember where I'm from, right?" Mal looks at her and smiles.

"I get it, still don't have to like it!"

"Stop being such a baby." Mal splashes her with the cold water, causing Charlotte to scream out at her to stop.

When the timer goes off they both climb out and Mal wraps a towel around Charlotte, and kisses her on the temple, "I'm sorry baby, I just wanted to have a little fun."

"Next time you want to have fun, can we please make sure it's under a nice warm shower head rather than a tub full of cubes?"

"Is that your way of inviting me to shower with you?"

"Mal, I didn't mean it like that. I'm not ready for that big of step yet."

Mal steps in front of Charlotte, "Look at me, please." Charlotte looks up Mal. "I need you to know that as much as I want to touch and be with you; I will never do anything until I know it's okay with you. I care about you, Charlie and you being comfortable with things is more important to me than everything else. Now, I'm freezing, so let's each grab a warm shower, get changed and then we can snuggle for a bit before supper, okay?"

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Thank you."

Mal kisses her, "You're welcome, we're in this together. Now, grabs your clothes, you can have the first shower."

Charlotte wraps her arms around Mal and pulls her in tightly before kissing her with everything in her. They separate and look at each other both breathing deeply and unable to break eye contact. "Can we do that again?" Mal laughs before closing the space between them.

Charlotte is laying on the bed messaging Finn about the books when Mal climbs in bed beside her. She puts her phone down and grabs the remote, turning the television on and finding something for them to watch.

Mal places her head on Charlotte's chest and as Charlotte breaths in the smell of her freshly clean body, she finds her body reacting to it.

"Who were you talking to?"

"I was just checking in with Finn to see how he was managing without me being around to bug him."

"I hope I get to meet him one day, he sounds like a good friend."

"He is my best friend, and I'm sure you'll get to meet him one day."

They get comfortable and watch some a couple of shows before heading down to grab supper and then finding out that they are going to have to sit through "Never Have I Ever" and "Truth or Dare" in Ashley and Katie's room.

Charlotte takes Mal's hand and stops her in the hallway. "What's wrong?"

"I've never played these games, what do they usually entail, because I only have what I've seen in the movies to go by."

"Just try and relax, I'm certain the girls aren't going to go too wild with the questions. But chances are there will be some questions about sex, and sexuality."

"What if I don't want to answer them?"

"Then there is usually some form of punishment. Don't worry, baby I'll look after you."

"I like it when you call me, Baby."

Mal leans over and quickly kisses her before backing away, aware that they are in the hallway and don't need anyone seeing them.

They enter the room and join their teammates and after they go over the rules the first game begins.

"So rather than everyone just asking questions, I downloaded an app that will randomize questions for us, is that okay with everyone?"

Everyone agrees to it and they start all start with their fingers in the air, as the questions come up fingers start to go down and Charlotte begins to get a bit nervous because she hasn't really experienced a lot of stuff.

"Never have I ever kissed someone the same sex as me." Charlotte watches Mal put a finger down and follows her lead. A few others in the room do the same and it causes a reaction.

"Never have I wished for my friend to break up with their significant other." Charlotte puts another finger down and sees Mal smiling at her.

"Never have I ever taken a pregnancy test." Charlotte reacts when she sees Mal put a finger down. Mal catches it, "I'll explain later."

"Never have I ever spent more than $100 on shoes." Everyone in the room puts a finger down and they laugh. "That's not a fair question, you can't get good cleats for under $100." Someone yells out making the rest of them laugh and nod in agreement.

"Never have I ever had sex." Charlotte watches as fingers go down around the room and by her count she is only one of a handful of the girls who still haven't done the deed, so to speak.

"Never have I ever made out with someone in a room with other people in the room." Mal once again puts a finger down and mouths the words, "At a party" towards Charlotte.

"Never have I ever punched someone in the face." Charlotte puts a finger down and smiles at thoughts of the time she decked one of the jerks at school. Mal laughs seeing her put a finger down.

"Okay, last question ... Never have I ever peed in the shower." They laugh as the phone speaks and most put their fingers down including Charlotte and Mal.

"Well, that was interesting, to say the least. I have a question though for those of you who didn't put a finger down for having had sex, who amongst you is going to change that this week?"

Mal moves closer to Charlotte with the question, knowing that most of the eyes in the room are focused on them.

"Okay, that's enough, no one should ever feel pressured to have sex," Mal speaks out which makes Charlotte smile.

"Let's grab some snacks and then we'll play some Truth or Dare."

They each grab a couple of can of LeCroix and some chips before starting the game.

They slowly go around the room asking questions, nothing too incriminating or wild.

"Mal, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Would you like to cuddle with the person to the left of you?"

Mal smiles, knowing that it's Charlotte, "Definitely." She moves closer and Charlotte wraps her arm around her and kisses her cheek.

"Awww."

"Ashley, Truth or Dare?"

"Umm, Dare, I guess."

"I dare you to run up and down the hallway, yelling Happy New Year at the top of your lungs."

Ashley gets up and some of the girls record her as she completes the dare to their amusement before retaking her seat.

"Charlie, Truth or Dare?"

"I'm probably going to regret it, but dare."

Ashley looks at her and Mal, before smiling, "Okay, I've got one for you. You didn't put a finger down earlier when it mentioned making out with someone in a room with others in the room, so I dare you to make out with someone in front of us for two minutes."

"Anyone?"

"We all know it's going to be Mal."

Charlotte turns to face Mal and when her girlfriend nods, she smiles before they join their mouths together and when the timer goes off they don't want to stop. A pillow is thrown at them and they separate smiling at each other.

Charlotte looks around the room, "Katie, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Do you have any hidden talents?"

Katie smiles, "I'm pretty good at drawing, but most of you guys know that already. I was a member of my High School's marching band and play both the French Horn and Piano."

"You play the piano? That's actually pretty cool!"

They finish out the game and head back to their rooms, so they are there when it comes to bed check time.

Charlotte and Mal walk back to their room, take turns getting ready for bed and then curl up together.

"That wasn't too bad tonight, was it?"

"I got to kiss the prettiest girl in the room, so I would say not." Mal laughs, "I had a feeling Ashley would do something like that, I didn't expect your question of Katie though."

"I talked to her during testing today and got to know her a bit better, so I knew she would be comfortable with relaying that tidbit of information. Can you tell me about the pregnancy test, Mal?" 

"It's nothing major, my period was a couple of days late and I started to get concerned, so I went to the store and bought a test, took it and thankfully it came up negative. The next day my period showed up."

"That sounds kinda scary, did Dansby know?" 

Mal shakes her head, "No, he was pretty adamant that having kids before he was 30 wasn't a part of his masterplan, so I'm sure he would have told me to have an abortion or leave me."

"Would you have had an abortion?" 

"I don't know, I would like to think that I would've kept the baby and raised it, but thankfully I didn't have to make that decision, because I'm way too young to be a Mom."

"So from all of that, I get that you want kids, but not yet." 

Mal nods, "What about you? Do you want kids?" 

"Yes, but I'm not ready to be a Mom, yet; I can barely remember to feed my virtual animals on a regular basis or water my bamboo plant, like ever! so definitely, not ready."

Mal laughs, "You're so cute." 

"I thought I was adorable?" 

"That too." They press their lips together as a knock sounds on the door, Mal, jumps off Charlotte's bed and on to hers, pulling the covers back and getting underneath them before the door opens and one of the trainers comes in to check on them.

"Bed check." 

"Have a good night." 

Once she leaves, Mal gets out of the back and retakes her place in Charlotte's bed. They make out a bit more before deciding it's time for lights out. 


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning, Charlotte and Mal wake up with their bodies intertwined and laugh before sharing a few kisses and then after completing their routine, head down to join everyone for breakfast.

After breakfast and a meeting with the Coaches, they head back to their rooms to get changed and ready to go for training.

As she waits for Mal to finish getting ready, Charlotte messages with Mackenzie and finds out that they haven’t been able to keep up with the demand for copies of The Known and Into The Unknown. It has already sold out the latest print run via the campus store, website and also the small Mom and Pop shops that they have started branching out into. 

C.J.: How soon until we are back in stock?

Kenz: Printing company is backlogged best estimate is between 4 – 6 weeks.

C.J.: Crap! Any other options?

Kenz: Not right now, we have a deal in place with them for the current run. After it is finished then we may look elsewhere. I hate to ask this because I know you are extremely busy, but any additional thoughts on the third book?

C.J.: Kenz, right now my focus is on soccer and my girlfriend. When the time is right, I will finish the series. I already have the outline completed it’s just a matter of taking the time to put it together. 

Kenz: Don’t suppose you would give me any spoilers, huh? When all is said and done, you better bring Mal home to meet us.

C.J.: Nope, sorry! You’ll have to wait until the ending is ready to be known. Have to go, love U.

Kenz: Bad pun, kid. Love U 2.

Charlotte smiles when Mal calls her, “Ready to go, babe?”

“Lead the way.”

Her and Mal grab their bags and then join their teammates on the bus before arriving at the field a short time later.

Once there, they are divided into teams and start to work on some positional and set plays. They do that for a while, before taking a break and finding out that they will be finishing out the day with a full team scrimmage.

Charlotte is disappointed to find that Mal and she will be going against each other, but she plans on showing off for her girlfriend and the coaches.

Paying close attention to the ball movement of the players on the opposing team, she waits for the opportune time to intercept one of their lazy passes between players. Once she has the ball at her feet, she ‘megs the closest player and takes off behind her with the ball before sending a perfect diagonal cross into Ashley, who then makes no mistake in one-touching the ball past the keeper. A play that they had been working on prior to the scrimmage, that Charlotte knows will impress the coaches. Ashley comes over and high-fives her, “Nice setup.” “Nice finish. Let’s get some more.” Ashley laughs as she jogs back to the middle with Charlotte.

The sides play back and forth, each getting several opportunities and capitalizing on a few of them. Mal scores a nice goal against Charlotte’s side and smiles as she runs past her.

After taking another water break due to the Florida heat, the coaches start shifting some of the players around and Charlotte and Mal end up on the same team.

“You ready to show them how we play, Babe?” Mal winks and smiles at her and she shakes her head, “Damn that girl’s going to be the death of me,” she thinks as they restart off a goal kick.

Off the restart, the two seem to be able to read each other's thoughts and movements and soon Mal places the ball in the opening for Charlotte, who carries it deep into the end before sliding the pass through some legs and across the box and watching Mal tap it in for the easy goal.

A few minutes later and they do it again, this time with Charlotte making the keeper, Casey looks like a statue firing a laser past her from long range. 

The whistle blows to end the scrimmage and they assemble for a short debrief, before swapping out their cleats in favour of slides and hopping back on the bus for recovery back at the hotel.

The next few days play out pretty much the same, alternating between sessions in the weight room, and on the pitch and then engaging in a variety of team bonding tasks and games both on and off the field.

Towards the end of the week, it’s become clear that the coaches are keeping Mal and Charlotte together on the front line because of their obvious chemistry and finishing abilities. There are no doubts in anyone’s mind that they will be the US’ players to watch heading into the U20 World Cup.

As they spend more time together both on the field and off, Charlotte and Mal are finding that they really do enjoy each other’s company and are in a relationship for the right reasons. The tension between the two is palpable and some of their teammates are wagering that they are going to finish out the camp on a high both physically and mentally.

The girls separate into smaller groups for some bonding activities and Charlotte is happy that Mal is in another group as she needs to talk with someone about what is going on, that isn’t Mal or Mackenzie.

“Ash, do you think we could talk in private?” Ashley agrees and they wander off through the park on their own before sitting down on a bench.

“What’s going on?”

“Mal.” Ashley laughs, “I figured as much, what about her?”

“I don’t usually struggle with finding words, but I can’t find them to describe what’s going on between us, you know?”

“It’s pretty easy, you’re in love with her.”

“Yeah, I’ve never felt the way I do about her, before and it scares me.”

“It’s okay to be scared, but maybe you should be talking to her about what you’re feeling rather than me.”

“I know, it’s just that I know she wants to have sex and I do too, but I’ve never done it before and I don’t want to disappoint her.”

“We haven’t known each other for that long Charlie, but I think I have a pretty good idea as to the person you are, and honestly, if Mal wasn’t head over heels for you then I would make a play for you, myself. Now, in regards to having sex with her; you’re first time will never be perfect, but the person you choose to do it with can be. Mal and you are perfect for each other, relax, stop overthinking everything and let it happen naturally and neither of you will be disappointed.”

“Thanks, Ash.” Charlotte hugs Ashley. “You’d really make a play for me?”

Ashley laughs, “Even though you’re a soon to be Cardinal, yes. I can’t wait to beat you this season.”

“Not gonna happen, soon to be Bruin. I guess we should get back to the group now, I really appreciate you talking to me Ash, I don’t have a lot of people that I trust and let in, but I’m glad I have you.”

“Feelings mutual, now let’s get you back to your girl and pop that cherry of yours.”

“Ash!”

“What? I’m only kidding! Well kinda.”

Charlotte and Ashley rejoin the group and soon Mal finds her way to Charlotte’s side.

“What were you and Ash, talking about?”

“Us.”

“What about us?”

“Just that I’m in love with you and scared of disappointing you.” Mal takes her hand and pulls her behind a tree. “Say that again.”

Charlotte responds, “I’m scared of disappointing you.”

“You could never disappoint me, Charlie, now, I know, you know, that wasn’t what I meant.” Charlie laughs, “Oh, you meant the part where I said that I’m in love with you.”

Mal smiles and kisses her gently on the lips before responding, “I love you, too. But I can’t exactly show you how much out here in front of everyone.”

“Maybe, you could show me tonight, you know at bedtime.”

Mal looks at her, “Baby, I’m perfectly happy with us just fooling around, we don’t need to do anything more than that.”

“We may not need to, but I want too, with you.”

“Are you sure?” Charlotte nods, “Never been surer of anything in my life. I’m scared because I honestly don’t know what the heck I’m doing or what to expect, but I know you will be right there with me every step of the way.”

Mal smiles, “We can figure everything out together. Including how to get back to the meeting point because I think we lost our group.”

Charlotte takes out her phone and sends a message and a minute later it dings.

“I asked Ash to drop a pin, because we got a little sidetracked and separated from the group. Let’s go before the move anymore.” Charlotte takes her hand and they walk quickly towards the meeting point.

Arriving there they find their teammates watching and laughing at them.

“Should we even ask as to how you got separated?”

They laugh and shake their heads, “Nope, not necessary.”

“Just be glad the staff is in their own little world and didn’t notice the two of you were missing.”

The bus arrives and they get loaded up before returning to their hotel, for supper and a free evening.

Charlotte has a difficult time eating what is on her plate thinking about what will be happening shortly. Mal notices and takes her hand and squeezes it under the table. The girls around them make plans to hang out and watch movies or do some exploring and they listen in, smile and laugh at their antics.

Kelcie yells out, “Anyone want to play, guess the quote, movie edition?”

Hands go up, “Okay, I got the first one –

"Grief is nature's most powerful aphrodisiac."

Charlotte yells out, “WEDDING CRASHERS! One of the best movies ever!”

Mal gives her a high five as do the other girls at their table. Charlotte stands up, “I’m not drunk, your just blurry.”

“Can we get a hint?” Charlotte nods, “Anna Kendrick.” “PITCH PERFECT!” Charlotte nods, “I don’t know who called out first, so you guys can decide.”

Katie stands up, “I got next!”

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

“HARRY POTTER! That one’s easy, K.”

Parker stands up, “Try this one on for size then -- “Just follow me and run like your life depends on it. Because it does.”

Charlotte smiles knowing the answer and waiting to see if anyone else does when the room is quiet, she leans over and whispers in Mal’s ear, “The Maze Runner.”

Mal looks at her, “How do you know that?”

“I read a ton and I remember that from the book.”

“I would have never guessed you like to read based on the collection of novels in your bag and the fact that every time we go out, you buy more.”

Charlotte looks at her, “Is it a problem that I like to read a lot?”

“No, definitely not a problem, although I’m slightly concerned to think about how many books you may have at home. I like the fact that you read and write down stuff in your journal. I find your passion for knowledge and ability to carry a conversation on many different topics very attractive. Not to mention you look really cute in your glasses.”

“Will you still think I’m cute if I end up wearing coke bottle glasses as my Dad did?”

“Not as cute, but I’ll be your eyes if you need to have Lasik surgery done down the road.”

“My Dad refused to have corrective surgery done, he was terrified that something would go wrong with the lasers and leave him blind.”

“And what do you think?”

“I think that my father was a brilliant man who sometimes had issues with living in the real world.”

“I’m confused.”

“One day, I promise I’ll explain everything, but right now let’s get out of here and go back to our room.”

They head out and back to their room, taking the time to make sure the door is locked behind them, before kissing and the separating.

“We don’t have to do this, Charlie.”

Charlotte looks at her and then moves to remove her shirt. Mal lifts her arms and allows it to be lifted over her head and off, leaving her in just a sports bra.

Mal smiles before helping Charlotte remove her shirt and throwing it to the floor. They take each other's hand and walk towards the bed, sitting on the edge before rejoining their mouths in a hungry, needy kiss, battling for control. They separate again and look at each other, waiting for any sign of hesitation, but seeing none before they continue the process of helping each other out of their clothes.

They take in the sight of their naked bodies and feel their hearts pounding in their throats along with an undeniable throbbing going on.

Charlotte looks at Mal, “You’re even more beautiful than I thought you would be.”

“You know you can touch me I’m not going to break.”

Charlotte reaches to touch her with her hand and doesn’t expect Mal to pull her down on top of her. Charlotte leg makes contact with Mal’s centre and causes her to moan out with the contact. The sound of the moan is music to Charlotte’s ears and soon they are exploring with their hands, tongues and mouths. As the tip of Mal’s tongue flicks her hard nipple, Charlotte feels the throbbing between her legs intensify with the need for release.

“Mal, I need you.”

Mal moves up to kiss her once more before slowly moving down until she is where Charlotte needs her most, “Please.”

The next few hours find them learning about themselves and each other and finding out what is to not only feel love but make love to each other.

As it gets later, they fall asleep together, feeling like everything is right in the world. 


	14. Chapter 14

Charlotte feels a hand move hair away from her face and Mal's lips graze her cheek.

Charlotte smiles, "I like waking up like this and with you."

Mal wraps her arm around her and pulls her closer, "Me too. Charlie ... umm about last night..."

"Mal, last night was amazing."

"You don't regret it?"

Charlotte turns over to face Mal, and runs her hand over her jaw and cheek, locking their eyes before speaking, "Mal, I don't regret it at all. It was perfect, you are perfect and I love you." Charlotte wipes away the tear spilling from Mal's eye before kissing her gently on the nose.

"Shouldn't I be the one crying? You did, after all, take my innocence last night, Mally."

"I seem to recall you be a very willing and engaged participant in everything and definitely not so innocent." Mal smiles at her, causing Charlotte to laugh. "I'm happy here and being with you, Charlie."

Charlotte leans over and kisses her, "Me too, beautiful."

After laying together for a little while longer, they decide to get up and take a joint, relatively tame shower together before getting dressed and heading down for breakfast with their teammates.

As they walk in the room, Charlotte and Ashley make eye contact and she smiles when Charlotte nods in acknowledgement of the unspoken question.

Katie joins them at the table, "Are you guys ready? Today is the last day to make an impression."

"We're ready, are you?" Mal responds

Katie nods, "Yep! Got my good luck charm and everything." She pulls out a penny and shows them it.

"What's the deal with the penny?" Ashley asks

Katie laughs, "On the day I was born, my Dad found it on the ground, he kept it safe in his drawer and when I turned 13 he gave it to me, said it would bring me luck, it's been with me ever since."

"That's seriously cute. You and your Dad are close I take it?"

Katie nods, "He's my best friend. He's the reason I started playing soccer in the first place."

Charlotte not wanting to cry in front of the others, at the thought of her Dad, stands up and whispers in Mal's ear, "I'm just going to call my Mom, I'll meet you in the room."

Mal seeing her wet eyes, smiles, nods and then watches her girlfriend walk out of the room.

"Everything okay with Charlie?" Katie asks Mal.

"Her Dad passed away a few years ago, they were really close and I think you talking about your Dad just stirred up some memories, that's all."

"Should I go and check on her?" Katie attempts to stand up and Ashley takes Katie's arm and shakes her head, "She'll be fine, just give her some time and space to process." Katie nods.

"She told me she was going to call her Mom, so I'll give her a bit and then go check on her, okay, Katie?"

"Okay, Mal. I feel bad but I didn't know."

"It's okay Katie, not many people do; Charlie is pretty quiet when it comes to her family and personal stuff."

Mal sits and chats with the girls while Charlotte heads back up to their room. Climbing on the bed and propping a pillow behind her, she calls her Mom.

"Hello."

"Hey, Mom."

"Are you okay, Charlotte you sound a little down."

"Yeah, just been thinking about Dad and how much I miss him."

"He's always with you, everywhere you go and I know he's incredibly proud of the person you've become."

"I hope so, Mom."

"Know so, because he is, as am I. How are camp and Mal?"

"Camp is going well, one last session today and then tomorrow I'll be catching a flight home. They'll be calling everyone within the next few days and letting them know if they've made the team or not. And Mal is incredible and well, I'm in love with her and can totally picture a future with her, Mom."

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about in terms of making the team because from what I've been led to believe you've been kicking ass there and in regards to Mal, I'm glad you've found someone who makes you happy; but just make sure you don't move too quickly in your relationship, I don't want to see either of you getting hurt."

"I know, Mom and don't worry, it's not like I'm planning on proposing to her or anything, yet, anyways; neither of us is anywhere near settling down, we've only just started living and both of us have too much going on in our lives to even think about it yet. We are both happy with what we currently have going on. We'll see where we're at in a few years."

"Good, keep it that way! There's no way in heck you are getting engaged at 18 to someone we've never even met."

Charlotte laughs, "Mal and I were talking about that; she has some time after the World Cup and before the Olympics, so we were making plans for her to come and meet you guys and then perhaps I could meet her family as well."

"That would be wonderful. Can I ask, have you told her about the books, yet?"

"No, I'm still trying to decide how to approach it and them with her or if I even need too."

"I'm sure that if she is the person you seem to think she is, that she will be supportive of both you and them."

"I know she will be Mom, it's just they aren't where I'd like them to be in terms of sales and I'm a little embarrassed by that and the fact that no publisher wanted them, you know? 

"Don't be. The books are an incredible accomplishment, Charlotte and you should be proud of them regardless of whether they have sold one copy or a million copies."

"Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, Charlotte, I have to head to work now, but call me as soon as you know your flight information or if you need to talk more, love you."

"Love you too, Mom. Bye."

"Bye."

Not knowing what else to do, Charlotte pulls out her laptop and checks on the latest questions and comments about her books on the website, before deciding to respond to a couple of them anonymously, of course. She laughs at the comments made about Sarah's demise and how it should have been someone else who took her place.

She shakes her head at the response to the revelation within "Into The Unknown" that not only is Dr Marleau gay, but that he is also meant to be with someone outside of the Secure Future Foundation, a fact that becomes known, once Dr Richmond successfully removes the chip in his brain.

Most of the feedback is positive with a few people making snide remarks about the need to insert the "token" gay couple. She holds herself back from typing out a long-winded response in regards to the comment, knowing that the necessity of the revelation will come full circle in her next planned book, that is, whenever she gets to it.

She shuts down the laptop and puts it away, before holding her phone and typing out a message. 

New Message

C.J.: Any word from the printers, yet?

Kenz: They got a new machine, so we're now looking at a 2 – 3-week turnaround.

C.J.: Perfect. Was looking on the website, most of the comments are pretty good; have you been getting any feedback through the email option?

Kenz: There have been a few emails come through, mostly looking for information on your true identity. Don't worry they get a pretty standard, thanks for your message, but we are unable to provide you with the information you have requested.

C.J.: Mom was hinting earlier that I should tell Mal about the books. What do you think?

Kenz: I think that if you love and trust Mal like you say you, do then you should tell her.

C.J.: But what exactly do I tell her? I wrote a couple of books that no publishing company wanted but college students are buying them up, left, right and centre.

Kenz: Yeah, come to think of that does kinda sound weird. It's really up to you, C.J. and I know you'll make the right decision. Love you, Sis.

C.J.: Love you, too. Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?

Kenz: I am, oops! 

Charlotte laughs at her sister response as Mal walks in. "Hey, Babe, how are you feeling?"

"Better, now that you're here." Mal walks over, hugs her and they share a quick kiss.

"Mal, you know how we were talking before about meeting each other's family? I definitely want to do that, even though, I admit I'm still terrified about having to have the chat with your Dad."

Mal busts out laughing, "I told you, he's just a big teddy bear, you have nothing to worry about. Let's do it after the World Cup, and before the Olympics that is provided I make the roster."

Charlotte takes her hand and looks at her, "You will make the roster and I will be cheering you on every step of the way."

They kiss again, before getting up and getting changed for their training session.

As has become the norm, Charlotte and Mal are together, working the front line of their team against the other half of the squad. With the final whistle of the session blowing and Charlotte and Mal sharing 5 of their teams 8 goals between them, there is doubt in anybody's mind that their spots on the team are secure.

After finishing up recovery, getting cleaned up and grabbing something to eat the girls decide to spend their last full day of camp out of the hotel, taking in the sights and having some fun eating food that isn't necessarily on their nutrition plans.

Charlotte and Mal wander around the area, holding hands and just enjoying each other's company, before grabbing something to eat and then walking along the riverfront until it's time to head back to the hotel.

Changing into comfier clothes they curl up and watch a movie together, before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, they shower, get dressed and head down to get something to eat before returning to their hotel room and getting packed up for their flights home later on in the day.

"I really don't want to go home, why can't we just stay here, together?"

Charlotte laughs, "Not how it works, although I'd totally be on board with the idea. We're only going to be apart for 5 days, Mally and then on to wherever the heck it is we're going."

"Papua New Guinea."

"I know that I just wanted to hear you say it."

"You're such a goof sometimes, C.J."

"You called me C.J."

"Yeah, I know only your close family calls you it and I was hoping that it would be alright if I did as well."

"I would love that."

"I love you, C.J."

"I love you, Mally."

"Not giving that one up, huh?"

Charlotte smiles and shakes her head, "Nope!"

After lunch and some final words from the Coaching staff, they all load on to the bus and are driven to the airport to wait and catch their flights home.

The girls say their goodbyes and soon start to head their separate ways. Mal and Charlotte hold onto each other and share one last kiss before heading to different gates.

Two days later, while waiting at home surrounded by her family and some friends, Charlotte gets the call letting her know that she will be pulling on the Red, White and Blue and representing her country at the U20 World Cup alongside Mal and she couldn't be happier.


	15. Chapter 15

Charlotte drops to her knees and kisses the ground, "Land, oh, how I've missed thee!"

The group around her all laugh, tired laughs including Mal, after having spent a good chunk of the past two days making their way from Chicago, all the way to Port Moresby in Papua, New Guinea via Los Angeles and Brisbane.

"Alright ladies, gather around. I understand you are all tired and can't wait to sleep in a real bed, but we still have a bit of a drive ahead of us to the hotel. You've all been provided with a paper copy of the rules, expectations, daily schedule and rooming assignments; please follow them. For your own safety, there will be no travelling outside of the immediate area on your off time without permission and a curfew and nightly bed checks will be in full effect. Understood?"

"Yes, Coach!"

"Good, then let's go."

The bus stops and they all climb out and collect their bags in front of the Holiday Inn.

Charlotte can't help but laugh as Mal struggles to pull her suitcase along. "It's not funny!"

"Sorry Babe, but I'm so exhausted everything is hilarious right now, do you need help?"

Mal pouts and nods as Charlotte takes over pulling her wonky suitcase for her. They wait in the lobby as the room keys are given out and then waste no time in finding their rooms. Mindful of the chemistry of the team, the Coaches tried to keep the rooming assignments the same as the camp, which means that Mal and Charlotte have thankfully found themselves rooming together once more.

Once inside the room, Mal and Charlotte waste very little time in stripping off any unnecessary clothing, finding the first bed, curling up together and crashing.

The next day is spent between sleeping, eating, sleeping more and then taking part in a light workout and training session. After returning to the hotel, they have supper as a team and then have the balance of the evening to themselves as they acclimate to their surroundings. Charlotte and Mal decide to take advantage of the hotel pool and get a bit of water time before heading back up to their room to help each other out of their bathing suits.

Laying in bed their naked bodies wrapped in each other afterwards, they struggle with the notion that at least one if not both of them needs to put clothes on in case of bed checks. In the end, they both get up, put on some clothes and complete their nighttime routine before curling back up and falling asleep together.

A few days later and it's time for their first game of the tournament, they're in tough against the team from France. Charlotte looks and smiles at Mal across the changeroom as her girlfriend plays around with getting the Captain's armband in the right spot. Charlotte walks over to her, "Need some help, Captain?" 

Mal smiles, "I think it's under control, but thanks for the offer."

"Always." 

The finish getting ready and listening to final instructions, before lining up and then making their way back out to the field beside the members of the French squad. 

Charlotte and Mal hug each other before taking their places on the field at PNG Football Stadium. Charlotte looks around and is in awe of the number of people in the stands to watch them play. Used to playing in front of maybe 100 people, the crowd of 1800 spectators is a sight to see.

The match gets underway and France looks to draw first blood, only to have the shot be just deflected wide of the post by Casey Murphy, the goalkeeper for the US. Off the subsequent corner, the US is finally able to gain possession and Charlotte after getting the ball sends their first chance wide of the goal.

Both teams are relatively equally matched and the game turns into one of possession, with France holding the slight advantage over the Americans. After each team only manages to get 5 shots aside on target through 90 minutes, they walk away with a 0 - 0 draw in their first outing of the tournament.

After getting their instructions from the training staff, they head back to the hotel for recovery.

"That game sucked!" Mal puts her head on Charlotte's shoulder. "Yeah, it did. We'll get the next one."

3 days later and the United States takes to the field for their match against New Zealand. Mal as the Captain of the team does her best to try and hype them up, but ultimately, it's Katie's antics that draw the most attention and laughter.

Charlotte and Mal hug before the match and Charlotte catches herself watching Mal as she jogs away, she can feel and see the confidence surrounding her, she swallows hard as she finds it a complete turn on but she needs to focus on the game rather than picturing her girlfriend naked at the moment.

Charlotte looks at the Referee anxiously awaiting the signal to start and when it blows the US is flying, unlike the first game. Ashley strips the opposition of the ball and sends the ball ahead to Mal who completes a no-look pass to Charlotte, knowing she will be in the spot and once the ball hits her feet Charlotte makes no mistake in finding the netting, for the US' first goal of the tournament, 3 minutes into the game.

Charlotte screams and then runs over scooping Mal up in her arms, "We can celebrate later, right now we have a game to win."

"Aye, aye, Captain, Mally."

5 minutes later and it's Charlotte's turn to find Mal for an easy tap in goal, to put them up by 2 goals less than 10 minutes into the game.

Charlotte finds the back of the net 10 minutes later only to have the goal called back on a questionable offside call.

"I was onside." Charlotte looks over at Mal.

"I know, forget about it; still plenty of game left to play."

Ashley opens her scoring account in the 38th minute with a howitzer from the top of the box that the keeper didn't even move on.

After the halftime break, Charlotte finds Mal once again to put them ahead by four goals.

In the 75th minute, they lose the clean sheet, when a miscommunication between Casey and one of her defenders, results in Isabella Coombes sneaking one in for the Kiwis.

Mal runs over and calms their keeper down before they restart. Just for good measures, Charlotte pots her second of the game in the 82nd minute to assure them of the victory.

The final whistle blows and they celebrate the victory and shake the hands of the opposition before getting their final instructions.

"Good game ladies, let's head back to the hotel for recovery and to eat. We'll have a quick recap session in the morning after breakfast and then everyone needs to be dressed appropriately tomorrow afternoon for an outing."

"Where are we going, Coach?"

"It's a surprise, but make sure you all wear proper footwear and charge your cameras and or phones."

"Now, let's get loaded up."

Back at the hotel after completing recovery and eating, Mal and Charlotte are chilling along with Ashley, Katie, Emily, Parker and Ally.

"Anyone have any idea what time it is right now in Cali? I promised I'd call my Mom."

Mal looks at Charlotte, "I know, you know."

"We're about 18 hours ahead of them I believe. So, if it's 9:30 p.m. here that would make it 3:30 a.m. there, I think."

"How the heck do you know that?" Charlotte shrugs and Mal answers, "Because my baby, is hella smart." Which causes them to laugh as Charlotte blushes.

Charlotte leans into Mal, "You ready to go to bed, yet?"

Mal raised her eyebrow at her, "Bed?"

Charlotte nods, "Yeah, bed, I'm feeling wiped out and it sounds like we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Mal kisses her and nods, "Let's go to bed, then."

They say goodnight and then make their way back up to the room, getting changed and ready for bed.

"You feeling okay?"

"Just tired. You played awesome today, Captain."

"You played pretty well yourself, that second goal of yours was nice."

"All I did was find space and finish it, you did all the work."

"We make a pretty good one, two punch."

"Yeah, we do."

They continue to talk and exchange a few kisses before snuggling into each other and falling asleep.

That night, their room is chosen for bed check and when they don't respond to the knock at the door, the Coach opens it with a master key and walks into check on them, finding them asleep together in what seems to be a very friendly position.

After the morning debriefs and recap is complete, the Coach asks Mal and Charlotte to stay behind.

"What's up, Coach?"

"I need the two of you to be honest with me, are you in a relationship with each other?"

They look at each other and then the Coach and nod, "Yes."

"You do realize that I could get into a lot of trouble if I allow you to continue rooming together, right?"

"Yes, Coach, but we haven't done anything wrong, aside from failing to disclose our relationship."

"I don't want to do anything that may upset the chemistry of the team, so if you can promise me that you will continue to act professionally in public and not mention your relationship to anyone outside of our team, then I will continue to look the other way, for the time being, however, you will not be rooming together at the next camp."

"We understand, Coach, and thank you."

"You're welcome, don't disappoint me; now, go and get ready for our afternoon adventure."

"Yes, Coach."

During the afternoon outing which turns out to be a trip to Port Moresby Nature Park, Charlotte and Mal do their very best to leave space between themselves and act professionally while in public. It turns out to be a pretty fun outing as they get to see some animals, that they wouldn't normally get to see and walk through the forest paths with their teammates.

They spend the next two days back on the field training and then recovering before their next match against Ghana.

"Let's go, hands in, USA on three."

All the players put their hands in, "One, Two, Three, U S A!!!" "Let's go!"

Charlotte and Mal do their usual hug before the game starts, careful not to hold it any longer than necessary.

The US is shocked when in the 20th minute of the game, the ball is lobbed in towards the goal from the centre and the usually reliable Casey in goal, misjudges the flight path of the ball resulting in her guiding the ball into the net for an own goal.

Knowing the Casey is absolutely devastated, Charlotte goes back and taps her keep on the arm along with Mal, reassuring her that it'll be okay.

Sure enough, 2 minutes later Mal takes it upon herself to cut down the opposition's defence before cutting back and sending a hard shot to the bottom corner past the keeper in the neon Yellow kit, to tie things up.

Charlotte runs over to her and hugs her, "That was amazing!"

Mal laughs, "Your turn."

"Not sure I can follow that up, Babe."

Despite getting a decent number of chances throughout the remainder of the game, the United States is unable to find the mesh again to break the deadlock and the game ends in a 1 – 1 final.

The US finishes at the top of the group despite being tied with France based on fair play points and draws up against Mexico in the Quarters.

Four days later, they are back on the field playing Mexico in the Quarter Finals.

"Here, we go again. Win we go forward, lose and we pack our back for the long flight home. Don't know about you guys but I'd really like to stay around a bit longer."

"Nice speech, Captain."

"Leave me alone, I'm tired because someone kept me up a good chunk of the night."

"I told you to sleep in the other bed."

"Yeah, but you seemed to like it when I rubbed you."

"I always like when you rub it, Mal." Charlotte gives her a look, causing the other girl to laugh at the insinuation. "Not gonna lie, I did like you rubbing me and the warmth helped with the cramps. I feel pretty crappy and just need this game to be done, so I can go back to bed."

The teams remain scoreless through the first half, thanks in large part to Casey coming up with some big saves to keep her team in the game.

In the 60th minute, Mexico is awarded a free-kick just outside the box and Maria Sanchez is able to curl a left-footed ball around the American wall and through the outstretched hands of Casey to put them on top.

Minutes later, they come close to going up by two when there is a breakdown in communication once again between Casey and her defenders with the result being the shot going over the crossbar and out of play.

In the 75th minute, the US subs in Ally Watt for some fresh legs and it pays almost immediate dividends as she outpaces the opposition and slots the ball past the keeper to tie the game in the 81st minute.

With the teams playing deep into added time, the US gains possession in the Mexican zone with Watt digging it out and sending the ball across the box towards Mal, who lets the ball go knowing that Charlotte is there to finish it, which she does sending the ball past the outstretched keeper to the bottom corner and the US on to the Semi-Finals.

"Took you long enough to show up to the game, Gordon."

Mal smiles and they hug each other, "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better now."

"Good, let's go shake some hands then."

Charlotte is swarmed by her teammates but is eventually able to make her way over and shake some hands of the opposing players and Coaches.

The next few days pass by relatively quickly between training, recovery, water sessions and team bonding.

"Alright ladies, bring it in."

The team assembles around their Coach for final instructions as they get ready to take on the team from North Korea in the Semi-Finals.

"This North Korean team is good, they will be our toughest match so far. You guys are going to need to dig deep and work hard today to come out with the win. I know you can do it, so get out there and show everyone else that you can."

"Yes, Coach!"

As expected the Koreans come out hard and Casey in goal is kept on her feet having to come up with multiple saves to help keep her team in the game. Mal and Charlotte both get their chances but aren't able to capitalize on them and the game stays scoreless through the first half.

5 minutes into the second half and things change as the Referee blows her whistle and points to the spot indicating a handball against the US. Mal does her best to try and argue for a free-kick instead, but the ref isn't having it.

Jon So-yon steps up to the spot for North Korea and makes quick work of sending Casey diving in the wrong direction and putting them on the scoresheet.

The teams continue to go back and forth with the North Koreans continuing to get shots through, but Casey coming up big and keeping the damage on the scoresheet to a minimum.

In the 75th minute, Charlotte is playing the ball, when all of a sudden cleats come at her from out of nowhere and send her down hard, she screams out as pain rips through her entire body and tears pour out.

The play is blown dead and while the North Korean player is issued a yellow card, the trainers come rushing on to help Charlotte. Mal comes running over, to check on her and sees her girlfriend holding her leg.

"My knee it popped." 


	16. Chapter 16

Mal comes running into the changeroom at the completion of the game along with most of the team.

"Where is she?"

"They took her to the hospital."

"Is it?"

"Everyone take a seat, please and we'll talk."

The players do as the Coach asks and take their seats around the room.

"I know everyone is extremely disappointed to have lost the way that we did and contrary to what you may think, I do believe that the tackle on Charlotte was a deliberate attempt to injure and the player should have been ejected. I plan on taking it up with the powers that be later, but I'm not certain that they will be able to do anything about it now. As for Charlotte's condition, we believe that she tore her ACL, and she is currently undergoing some testing to confirm the initial diagnosis. You will be provided with updates when we have them, now, everyone please get ready and we'll head back to the hotel for recovery and a full debrief."

Mal sits in her chair bent over as the tears pour out, she feels a set of arms around her and then another, soon she is surrounded by her teammates. "She'll be okay, Mal."

"I just feel helpless right now, Ash."

Casey looks at them, "We all do, Mal. We're here for you and Charlie if you need us."

Mal nods, "Thanks."

As they head back to the hotel to complete recovery and absorb everything, Charlotte finds herself surrounded by strangers and scared out of her mind.

"Can someone please talk to me?"

She notices one of the trainers from the US team make their way into the room.

"What's going on? Please tell me."

He takes a seat beside her. "Based on the tests, we have every reason to believe that you damaged your ACL, however, until the swelling goes down and we are able to get a better picture of the damage, we don't know if it will require surgery or not."

"Surgery?" He nods. "How long until we know for sure?"

"Probably a couple of days."

"If I need surgery, what are my options?"

"We would have to fly to Sydney for you to have the surgery done or else wait until we get back to the States."

"I want to go home." Charlotte starts crying. "I need Mal, where is she?'

"The team is back at the hotel, right now."

"The game?"

"They lost in extra time 2 -1. You get some rest now and I'll see about getting you sprung from here as soon as possible, okay?"

Charlotte nods and puts her head back, letting the drip do its work.

When she wakes up she feels someone holding her hand and looks over to find Mal asleep in the chair beside the bed.

"Mal? Mally? Wake up."

Mal opens her eyes and yawns before smiling at her, "Hey, you're finally awake."

"Yeah, I guess they gave me some of the good stuff. You okay?"

"I will be once we get you out of here and back to the hotel with me."

"Did they tell you, what's going on?" Mal nods, "Yeah, I'm really sorry, baby."

"You have nothing to be sorry for Mal, there's nothing you could have done to prevent it from happening."

Mal kisses her gently on the lips, "I love you."

"Love you, too. You should go back to the hotel now and get some sleep."

"I'm not going anywhere until you do."

"Mal..."

"It's okay, Coach gave us the day off and they know I'm here. Now, do you could make room for me on that bed of yours, cause this chair is super uncomfortable."

"I'll see what I can do." Charlotte slides over and Mal climbs in and carefully gets herself positioned with her head on Charlotte's chest before they close their eyes and fall asleep.

Charlotte wakes up to voices in the room around her and Mal's slight snoring on her chest.

"You ready to get out of here?"

Charlotte nods and gently wakes up Mal letting her know what's happening.

After helping Charlotte get dressed, Mal helps her get into the wheelchair as the discharge papers are completed.

Mal starts to push the wheelchair and Charlotte can't help but rib her a little, "Stop, there's no way in heck I'm letting someone who can't even pull a suitcase straight, push me around in a wheelchair."

"Really, that's the best you got?"

Charlotte laughs, "Hey, you gotta work with what you got and I'm currently on pain meds, what's your excuse?"

Mal shakes her head and pushes her and the wheelchair out to the awaiting van.

Once back at the hotel, the trainer helps her get situated on the bed and reminds her that she isn't to attempt to even stand up without help and use the crutches to help her get around.

They end up just propping the hotel room door as between their teammates, coaches and staff it seems like people are constantly coming and going to check on Charlotte.

"Mally, you should go down for supper with the team, I'll be fine by myself for a bit."

"Do you feel up to eating?" Charlotte nods. "Make you a deal, how about I go down and make us a couple of plates and then bring them back up."

"Sounds good, but first do you think you could help me to the washroom?"

"That I can do." 

A couple of days pass and with the swelling now down, the doctors take another look at her knee and confirm that she will indeed need to undergo ACL surgery.

After talking things over with her Mom and the doctor, it's decided that she will wait until returning to the US to undergo the surgery to limit the post-surgery risks associated with flying and or being in an airplane for a prolonged period of time afterwards and also so her recovery and rehab can be monitored more closely.

The next day, Charlotte is forced to watch from the sidelines as her teammates take to the field one last time against Japan in the battle for third place in the tournament.

Right from the first whistle, the Americans are outplayed by the Japanese players and without Casey standing tall between the pipes, the score could have very easily been lopsided. Instead, they are lucky to head to the half still scoreless.

The second half plays out in the mostly the same manner as the first, the Americans are unable to convert on their chances and the Japanese players run circles around them.

Japanese player Ueno finally cracks Casey, in the 87th minute and puts her team ahead with only minutes left in the game.

As the final whistle sounds, the United States walk away with an extremely disappointing fourth place overall finish in the 2016 U20 Women's World Cup.

One day after returning to the United States, Charlotte finds herself along with her Mom, making the trip to Atlanta, where her surgery is scheduled to take place.

"I'm scared, Mom." Carol squeezes her daughter's hand. "Everything will be okay, I promise you; I'll see you when you wake up, love you."

"Love you too, Mom."

Charlotte wakes up a few hours later, groggy from the anaesthesia and looks around.

"Mom?"

She feels a hand on her, "Right here, how are you feeling?"

"Numb."

Carol laughs, "I'll be right back, I'm just going to let them know you are awake."

After going over with the as to what to expect post-surgery and making sure they have contacts should there being any further questions and or concerns, Charlotte is released from the hospital and heads home with a recovery plan and timeline in hand.

As they pull up in front of the Gordon household, Charlotte opens the car door and waits for her Mom to get the crutches for her and help her get out of the car.

She slowly makes her way up the sidewalk and to the door, opening it she makes her way towards the living room and finds not only Mackenzie sitting there but... "Mal! What are you doing here?"

Mal walks over and hugs her before gently kissing her lips, "I missed you and we promised that we would meet each other's families after the World Cup."

"I guess, I kinda figured that my wonky knee would chase you away."

"It'll take more than that, to get rid of me C.J." They kiss again and smile at each other, before hearing someone clear their throat, "Ahem. Are you planning on introducing me to your friend?"

They both laugh and Mal backs up and turns to face Carol. "Mom, this is Mal, my girlfriend."

Carol laughs, "I would hope she's your girlfriend after kissing each other like that. It's nice to meet you, Mal." Mal is surprised when Carol hugs her, "Thank you for being here, she's having a hard time dealing with everything."

Mal nods, "I figured because she's hasn't been responding to my messages or calls."

Charlotte looks at her Mom and Mal, "Umm... if you didn't know she was going to be here then how?"

Mackenzie speaks up, "I follow Mal on Instagram and we've been sending messages back and forth since you got hurt. We made arrangements for her to fly here and stay a couple of days, if that's okay with you, C.J."

Charlotte smiles, "Definitely, okay, thank you."

While Charlotte spends most of the next few days being waited on hand and foot, she is able to watch and see how seamlessly Mal fits in with her Sister and Mom in their household.

The next day, Charlotte is finally able to introduce Finn to Mal and at the end of the encounter, she pulls Finn aside to get his impression of Mal.

"What do you think of Mal, Finn?" 

"She's ever cuter in person, she's smart and funny. I really like her and I can tell that she really loves you."

"What do you mean, you can tell she really loves me?"

"The girl flew here from Denver to be with you as soon as she could, not to mention that she is always watching, listening and smiling when you're around her and talking; she evens laughs at your jokes, which, let's be honest, some are pretty bad." 

"I thought you liked my bad jokes?" 

"I do, but that girl in there loves your bad jokes. Don't let her get away without a fight, Charlie. I'll see you tomorrow to take you to your appointment." 

"Thanks, Finn. See you tomorrow."

All too soon it's time for Mal to leave and neither wants to break the hold they have on each other and let go.

"We'll see each other soon, Babe."

"You have camp and then you're heading to Brazil for the Olympics, and I'm stuck here being helpless."

"You're definitely not helpless, as you showed last night." Mal winks at her.

"Shh, I don't need Kenz hearing that."

"Don't worry Sis, I heard it all last night and we should talk," Mackenzie yells over.

Charlotte buries her head in Mal, who laughs.

"Babe, I promise we will talk and message all the time. I love you, and no matter where I'm at, nothing is going to change that."

Charlotte giggles at the unintentional rhyme before kissing Mal with everything in her, "You better not forget me, Mally."

"Not a chance."

Looking at the time Charlotte knows that Mal will have already landed and should either be on her way or already arriving back at her parent's. As if on cue, her phone buzzes.

New Message

Mally: Home now, love you, will talk tomorrow, sleep tight XOXO.

C.J. Love you XOXO

The next day, bored out of her mind and tired of just being in bed resting, Charlotte makes her way across the hall and into the office. She looks over the papers with her notes and ideas about the books and realizes that with her being unable to train or play soccer currently, she has the extra time needed to put the wheels in motion towards writing and hopefully finishing "Know-How" and the Known Universe Series.

Over the next few weeks, as she begins the rehabilitation process, and deals with some early setbacks from trying to do too much too soon. Charlotte finds solace in writing and knowing that soon she will be able to see the woman she loves wearing the Red, White and Blue at the Olympic Games in Brazil after Mal called and let her know that she made the final cut.

New Message

C.J.: I'm so proud of you, Mally. I wish I could travel to Brazil to support you, but I'll have to be content with seeing your cute face on the screen, for the time being. 

Mal: Miss you too. I'll do my best to score a goal for you.

C.J.: That would be awesome!! How's it being the youngest player on the team? Are they looking after you?

Mal: It's a bit different for sure, playing with girls that I look up to, but they have all really been nice to me. They have me rooming with Lindsey, which is great because at least we know each other.

C.J.: I'm glad to hear that. 

Mal: How's rehab going? 

C.J.: I hate it! But I know it needs to be done. 

Mal: Yep. I can't wait to see you wearing Cardinals colours.

C.J.: I won't be this season, but they've assured me that my academic scholarship and everything is still in place. 

Mal: That's really good to hear, I have to go for training now, Love you.

C.J.: Love you XO

Getting back into the flow of writing, Charlotte finds she can't stop and soon is writing deep into the night, much to her Mother's displeasure.

"The doctor's told you that getting enough sleep is imperative to your recovery."

"Mom, please. One hour more, give or take and I'll be done the book, then I'll sleep for the next week if it'll make you happy."

"Alright, I know better than to try and argue with you when you're working, but please try and head to bed soon."

"I will, Mom, I promise."

"Night, Charlotte."

"Night, Mom."

As the sun begins to rise, Charlotte puts the finishing touches on "Know-How" and can't help but be overcome by the emotions of finally giving herself and her characters the closure they deserve.

She closes down her laptop and heads into her room, falling asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

She sleeps most the next 24 hours away with the exception of washroom and sustenance breaks. 

After returning from her rehab appointment one afternoon she finds Mackenzie and Finn waiting for her.

"What's going on?"

"You finished Know-How, right?"

Charlotte nods, "Just need to review it and ensure I didn't miss or screw up anything in my exhausted state, before I show it to you guys, why?"

Finn stands up and pulls a chair out for her, "You should sit for this."

"Ms Gordon, you might want to sit for this news as well."

"Matthew, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

Mackenzie's face lights up, "I got this Finn. A certain A-list celebrity was photographed reading and carrying a copy of The Known around on the weekend and said photos are all over the internet now and the website crashed with people wanting their own copies of it as a result.

Charlotte's jaw drops, "Oh my God, are you serious?"

Finn interrupts, "Oh, but it gets better. You're sitting down right?"

"FINN!!"

"We received a couple of emails from publishing companies expressing interest in possibly buying the printing rights to The Known, Into The Unknown and Know-How."

"Charlotte, are you okay?" They all stare at her as she processes what she's just been told.

"I... um... woah. I think I need to lay down." Charlotte heads back to her room and lays down.

"Matthew, what exactly do you mean they are interested in buying the rights?"

"I don't know all the specifics, my Dad is looking after contacting them and getting all the information, he said it will probably take a couple of days to determine if the offers are good and legit. But, one is from Dell Publishing, who are the same people that printed the Maze Runner; which I happen to know is one of Charlie's favourite series."

"I'm going to check on Charlotte if you'll excuse me." Carol moves away from the table and makes the walk back to the bedroom of her daughter, finding her sobbing on her bed.

She sits down and takes her daughter in her arms, allowing her shirt to become saturated with Charlotte's tears and she battles between emotions.

"I should be excited about the news, but I don't know what to think, right now."

"It's okay to feel overwhelmed, let it happen, let it all come out."

After having been cloudy all day the skies suddenly open and the rain comes pounding down, Charlotte and her Mom look out the window as the storm rolls in and the loud booming sound of Thunder makes them both jump and laugh.

"If you wanted a sign from your Father, I think you just got one; those are his tears pouring down from Heaven right now; he's proud of you and everything you've accomplished Charlotte." 


	17. Chapter 17

Charlotte, Mackenzie, Carol, Finn and his parents all sit around the table talking.

"So how is all of this going to work? They are aware that I don't want to reveal myself as the writer of the books, right?"

"Yes, Charlotte, it's been reiterated numerous times that your real identity is to remain a mystery; actually, they are completely on board with it and are planning on creating a marketing platform around it."

"What do you mean, a marketing platform?"

"They want to build the J.C. Glass name and brand, without anyone knowing who you really are."

"But we own the rights to the name J.C. Glass and The Known Universe, You made sure of that when I started writing."

"I did, they are our property and the publishing company and whoever else may come along will be paying a fee to utilize them. Charlotte, relax, I made sure that your real name will not appear on anything, and the money generated will all go into an account under another pseudonym. There will be no trail back to you, only me as the representative of J.C. Glass, who can't legally reveal your identity without cause."

"So, essentially what you are saying is that they are going to create a web of truth and lies in order to sell the books but at the same time protect me as the writer?"

"Exactly, it won't be the first, nor the last time that something like this has been orchestrated to fool the public."

"Do you think that I should just tell them I'm the writer of the books, rather than going through with all of this?"

"No. The mystery of your identity is part of what is selling your books, the other part, of course, is your talent."

"I need to know that I will still have control over my books and characters and that they won't do anything to change them."

"Charlotte, you need to trust that I wrote this contract up and included every single clause possible to protect not only you and your future but also the integrity of your books and characters. So, are you ready to sign on with Dell Publishing, kid?"

Charlotte looks around the table at her Mom, Mackenzie and then Finn all of whom are smiling encouragingly at her.

"Mom, what do you think?"

"I read the contract over Charlotte and everything you asked for is in it and then some. I feel comfortable with you signing it."

"Okay, got a pen?" Charlotte signs her name on the lines and then because she isn't 18 yet her Mom signs on the lines before her and then Mr Finnegan signs them as well.

"Congratulations, Charlotte."

"Thank you."

Charlotte sits back in her chair absorbing what just happened as the other's chat around her.

"So, when do we see the money?"

"Mackenzie!"

"What? It's not like you weren't thinking it."

"The publishing company will review each of the books, once they go through all the usual processes and are approved for print, then there will be an initial deposit made for each one, after that you will receive a percentage a sales, based on the number of copies sold; the higher the number sold, the higher the percentage. There are also built-in contingencies and clauses that allow for the amounts and percentages to be renegotiated at a later time. Also, Matthew, I know how hard you have worked on the cover artwork for the books and they are listed in the contract as non-negotiables, they stay, as well as the one I know you have already designed for the next book."

"Thanks, Dad." Finn hugs his Dad as Charlotte smiles and watches on.

"So, uh, Finn, where's the cover at? You haven't even shown it to us yet and your Dad has already seen it, what gives?"

"He wanted to know what I was working on so I showed it to him. Let me grab my laptop and I'll show you it as well. Hope you like it."

Finn sets up his laptop and pulls up the file for all to see.

Charlotte smiles, "How, did I know that you would choose to use Dr Richmond on the cover."

"It seemed only fitting that he started out the series, so he and his new family should close out the series."

"It's absolutely perfect, Finn." Charlotte hugs Finn and kisses him on the cheek, "Thank you." Finn smiles and nods.

"So, what happens now?"

"Now, we celebrate the future bestselling author in our midst!"

Later on, in the evening as the parents, chat and laugh, Charlotte withdraws into the office where Finn and Mackenzie find her sitting on the old couch, playing with the moon pendant around her neck.

Mackenzie looks at her sister, "To the moon and back, C.J."

"To the moon and back."

"Whatcha thinking about, besides Dad?"

"That I want to tell my girlfriend what's going on, but currently she is busy preparing to play on the biggest stage of her career and I don't want to say or do anything that could possibly affect her in any way."

"C.J. You do realize this is huge news right? She'll be ecstatic for you. You shouldn't keep it from her."

"I don't plan on, I'll tell her once she gets back, right now she needs to remain focused on playing and bringing home the Gold."

"Alright, that's fair. I'm sure that Mal, will want to do some celebrating when she gets back if you know what I mean." Mackenzie winks at her.

Charlotte shakes her head and laughs at her sister, "Yes, Mal and I had sex while she was here; jealous much, Sis?"

"No, I'm really more curious as to who's the top, because from what I could hear it was sounding like you're a bottom, Sis."

"Kenz, get the hell out of my office! Finn, you can stay." They laugh at her as she blushes.

Finn looks at her sideways, "Are you a bottom, Charlie? because, well, I always thought that you would be the top."

Mackenzie and Finn both bust out laughing at her expense.

"Both of you get the heck out of here!"

They laugh and high five before leaving her alone with her thoughts.

A week later and Charlotte is sitting in front of the television watching the opening ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil and waiting for the United States to make their entrance but knowing that the soccer team is busy preparing for their first match and won't be there.

A bit later, her phone buzzes with a picture message and a shot of Mal in her outfit and the caption, "Wish you were here."

She takes a picture of herself with her hand over her heart and sends it back with a caption, "I may not be there, but I'm with you every step of the way, always. Love you #2."

"Come on Kenz, the game is about to start."

"I'm coming, why do I have to sit and watch the game with you anyways, I thought Finn was going to."

"He has a date and you don't, so you're stuck listening to me cheer on my girl. Oh, look there she is."

"GO MAL! GO USA! Charlotte screams as the game starts.

"Woohoo, 1 – 0! Tobin Heath is a magician with the ball."

"New Zealand is pretty rough."

"Yeah, two yellow cards in a span of just over 10 minutes isn't good. I'm sure they're going to hear about that from their coaches. Mal looks really good out there."

"She could be sitting on her butt and picking at the grass and you would still think she looks good."

Charlotte shrugs, knowing it's the truth.

"I'm going to get some pizza for supper unless you want to cook."

"Nope, not leaving couch until this game is over."

"Okay, then I'll be back."

The second half starts and off the restart Morgan Brian feeds Alex Morgan who wastes no time putting the ball behind Nayler to put them on top by 2.

5 minutes after that Charlotte boos at the screen when she sees Crystal Dunn waiting on the sidelines to come into the game and Mal's number shows up on the board as the player coming off.

With Mal out of the game, Charlotte tunes out what is going on, on the screen but once Mackenzie returns with their supper, she watches the last few minutes of the game with her.

"Where's Mal?"

"Subbed out in the 51st minute."

"Ohh. So, how was your rehab appointment today?"

"Did weights and some treadmill work; I really just want to get back to being able to run."

"It'll come, C.J. but you need to build up to it."

"You know, Kenz, I'm going to miss you and our random chats when I'm at Stanford."

"I won't, already got plans to convert your room into a dressing room."

Charlotte throws a pillow at her, "Maybe it's time you move out too, Kenz."

"Nah, Mom would miss me too much. I can't believe you are leaving in a couple of weeks to move across the country."

"It's going to be a huge change, not having to deal with the cold or snow."

"Yeah, don't rub it in! Does Mal know where she's going yet?"

"She put off UCLA for the World Cup and Olympics, she was trying to get signed by the Portland Thorns of the NWSL, but it didn't come through, so she is kinda up in the air at the moment. She might head to UCLA in January unless she gets signed by another team in the meantime."

"Her parents don't mind that she isn't going to University?"

"They had a long discussion with her about it, her parents were both athletes in their prime and understand the need to seize every opportunity when given, so if she finds a team, she won't be going to UCLA."

"Does that bother you at all that she may be playing pro while you're in school?"

"To some extent yes, but she needs to make the choice that's right for her. I wish that I could play pro alongside her, but, I also, want to get an education that I can look back on and be proud of."

"Aww, my little space cadet, Sis."

"Kenz, that saying has multiple meanings and I'm for sure not on drugs or a flake."

"Then what do I say you're studying at that fancy school of yours?"

"Martians?" Charlotte laughs, "Just tell them that I'm learning how to make things like spaceships and airplanes fly."

"Are you really?"

"I hope so, cause otherwise, I'm in the wrong program."

"I'm surprised that you didn't decide to follow in Dad's footsteps and go into computer stuff."

"I had to do a lot of reading and research for the books and as interesting as I found it all; I couldn't see my future in it. I've always been fascinated by space and spaceships and the idea of walking on the moon and ..."

"Okay, nerd girl I get it. I need to make a call, do you need anything?"

"I'm good, thanks."

Mackenzie nods and collects her dishes before she heads out of the room.

New Message

C.J.: Good game, Mally. Love you.

Charlotte turns off the television, collects her stuff, deposits the dishes in the kitchen and then heads to her room to get ready for bed.

Mal: Thanks. In recovery right now. Miss you.

C.J.: Miss you so much.

Mal: How much?

C.J.: Sooooo very much, I wish I could wrap my arms around you right now and kiss you like there's no tomorrow.

Mal: Damn Babe, you managed to turn me on in an ice bath.

C.J.: I'm turned on and not in an ice bath.

Mal: If I didn't have company, I'd get you to tell me how turned on you are and what you are planning to do about it.

C.J.: Call me tomorrow and I'll tell you all about it.

Mal: That's a plan. Talk to you tomorrow. Love you.

C.J.: Love you.

Charlotte puts her phone down and then slides her hand down and into her underwear, stroking, rubbing and touching herself until she climaxes thinking about Mal.

Mal sits in the hotel room, looking at pictures of her and Charlotte when Lindsey walks into the room and notices she looks sad. She takes a seat beside her on the bed and puts her hand and Mal's arm

"What's up?"

"I miss C.J."

Lindsey smiles and nods, "I get it, it's hard being away from the people you love. You want to tell me about her?"

Mal smiles and nods before making room for Lindsey to move closer to her. She shows her some of the pictures on her phone and explains that she is also a pretty damn good soccer player but just recently underwent ACL surgery and will, unfortunately, miss her Freshman season at Stanford as a result. Lindsey can't help but notice how the younger girl's face lights up the more she talks about her girlfriend and how beautiful she is inside and out, and how smart and driven she is.

By the end of the conversation, Mal feels much better and Lindsey has a better idea as to who Charlotte Jennifer Gordon, of Massena, New York is and how she's managed to capture the heart of the younger girl.

A week later after skating by France a few days previous with a 1 – 0 victory thanks to a Carli Lloyd goal in the 64th minute of the game, the United States is back in action taking on the team from Columbia.

Carol takes a seat beside Charlotte as the game starts showing on the television, "Is Mal not starting?"

Charlotte shakes her head, "No, she's on the bench for this one."

"That's too bad."

"What the... oh, wow, Columbia scored."

"The US keeper doesn't look like she's too happy with her defenders right now."

"Solo never looks happy; she's pretty scary, even Mal told me that she scares the crap out of her."

Carol laughs thinking about the young girl and the keeper.

A few minutes later and the game stops as the trainer's come on to treat Megan Rapinoe.

"Rapinoe's hobbling, look Mal is getting warmed up!" Charlotte grabs her Mom's arm as she watches Mal.

Charlotte cheers on as Mal takes to the field in replacement of star player Rapinoe.

"Woohoo, let's go Mal!"

Minutes later they cheer again as American player Crystal Dunn ties the game up at 1.

At the half, both teams make a sub, with the US switching out Lloyd in favour of Alex Morgan for the second half of the game.

As the US players play in deep, Charlotte sees the ball from Christen Press makes its way to over to Mal, who wastes no time in firing a shot on goal and finding the netting to put them up by one.

Charlotte jumps off the couch to celebrate the goal and immediately regrets the decision, feeling a twinge in her knee.

"Mom, do you think you could get me some ice, please?"

Carol shakes her head, "Be right back."

The tensions start to elevate the later on in the game it gets and the referee starts handing out yellows like they were going out of style.

In the 90th minute of the game, the American players and fans are stunned as Columbia comes back to tie the game.

With the draw, the US still manages to finish atop their group and gets ready to take on the team from Sweden in what's sure to be an intense match in the Quarter – Finals.


	18. Chapter 18

**_A/N: I know the 2016 Olympic US vs. Sweden game is a black spot on the team and specifically Hope Solo, so I’m going to do my best to gloss over it in order to maintain the current storyline._ **

“C’mon Mom, drive faster I’m going to miss the start of the game.”

“I can only go as fast as the cars around me are; there is still a half-hour before game time, that’s more than enough time for us to get home before it starts.”

“I hope so.”

“How’s Mal doing?”

“Nice swerve Mom and to answer the question, she is good, extremely nervous about today though, Sweden is a good team and it’s going to be a tough match for them. She is beyond excited to be starting the game as well.”

“You ever think about playing in the Olympics, Charlotte?”

“Of course, it would be awesome to represent the US in the Olympics, but there are so many awesome, talented women ahead of me in line for a position on the Senior National team that I don’t stand a chance, especially now with missing the season because of my knee.”

“You’ve been working hard in rehab and following the Doctor’s orders, have faith that if you continue to put the work in you will be back on the field in no time and better than ever.”

“It’d be nice, I really miss soccer, Mom, it’s hard watching it on television, even if it’s Mal on the screen.”

“I know, but just think that when Mal comes back from Brazil you can afford to take her out somewhere nice for supper now and maybe even spoil her with presents, thanks to your book deal.”

“I’d be happy just to hold her in my arms right now and I haven’t told her about the books yet, I’ve been waiting for the right time.”

“Perhaps, once she’s back you will find that time.”

“I hope so, it’s been extremely difficult keeping a secret of that magnitude from her, especially now that the books are soon to be in stores.”

“I promise to be the first one in line to buy them once they hit the shelves.”

“Mom, that’s totally unnecessary, we already have copies of them at home and you’ve read them already.”

“I know, but I want the memory of being able to see and buy them in stores; got a problem with that?”

Charlotte smiles and laughs, “Not in the least, would you like me to sign them for you as well? Who knows they may be worth something in the future.”

Carol smiles and nods at her words. “We’ll see.”

Charlotte gets herself set up in front of the screen and watches as the teams make their way out of the tunnel and onto the field for the game.

After the obligatory anthems, shaking hands, photos and coin toss the game gets underway.

The United States presses the Swedes in the opening minutes of the game and Tobin Heath comes close to getting on the scoresheet 3 minutes in with a header, but it’s cleared off the line and the score remains at zeroes. 1 minute later and Swedish keeper Hedvig Lindahl palms a shot from Morgan Brian over the crossbar to keep them level.

Minutes later and the Americans give Caroline Seger space in their end, allowing the veteran to send the ball towards the goal over their heads but landing on top of the netting.

In the 26th minute of the game, Mal gets the ball through the Swedish defence and attempts to set up Carli for the finish, but in a questionable no-foul call, the Swedes are able to block Lloyd and clear away the opportunity.

The United States combination of Mal, Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath continue to get chances with the Swedes managing to block a fair amount of shots before they make it to the goal.

In the 28th minute, the US comes close once again to going ahead only to see Lindhahl manage to get a hand on the ball and send it back out. 

In the 37th Solo is pressed in action, needing to come out and punch the ball away from harm.

Then in the 44th minute Mal and Carli hook up once more and Carli puts her shot into the keeper with Mal getting the rebound and sending it just over the bar.

Charlotte watches from the edge of her couch, squeezing the pillow in her arms with everything she has and screams at the television as the ball goes over the bar and out of play.

“Damn it!”

The United States continues to bring it to the Swedes but is unable to capitalize on any opportunities and the teams finish the first half with the same scoreline as the beginning.

Mackenzie grabs a seat beside Charlotte, “What the score?”

“No score yet, end of the first half.”

“How’s Mal doing?”

“She’s been working hard and generating and some chances, missed a couple of her own; hopefully, the second half will see some results.”

Mackenzie looks at her, “I was expecting you to say good like you always do.”

“Sorry.” Charlotte smiles at her sister, “Why are you all dressed up?”

“I have a date.”

“With? I need details.”

“How about I’ll give you details if we make it beyond a first date.”

“Hey, Kenz, did you get a deposit into your account?”

“I did and while I appreciate it, it was completely unnecessary.”

“You and Finn have worked your butts off to make this happen for me, it’s the least I could do, but I expect you to take that money and put it towards paying off your school stuff.”

“I will. I could really use a new car, do you think you could direct some money into my account for that as well?”

Charlotte laughs, “I’m not that rich.”

“You will be once your books start flying off the shelves.”

“We’ll see about that. I’m really nervous that they’ll flop and the publishing company will ask for their money back.”

“That’s not gonna happen, Sis. Anyways, time for me to head out.”

Mackenzie gets up and puts her jacket on and Charlotte yells at her, “Be home before curfew!”

“I don’t have a curfew!”

“Have fun, Kenz and use protection.”

“I will, and remember to wash your hands.”

The front door closes and Charlotte laughs at her sister as the second half of the game gets underway.

The States has a golden opportunity on the edge of the 18-yard box in the 48th minute as a handball is called against Sweden. Rather than going to goal the US decides to play it short with Lloyd passes to Heath and getting the ball back before sending a low shot wide of the goal to end the threat.

Minutes later, the US finds itself with another free-kick as Tobin Heath is taken down just outside the box. When the whistle blows Carli steps and up sends the ball high over the wall but also over the goal and out of play.

“C’mon ref, where’s the card on that?” Charlotte is pissed when Mal is taken down from behind in the 55th minute and no card flashed.

Finally, in the 57th minute, the referee finds her yellow card and books one of the Swedish players for taking down Alex from behind.

In the 60th minute of the game, Stina Blackstenius off the counter-attack works her way through and beyond the American defenders and places her shot low and past a diving Hope Solo to give Sweden the one-goal advantage.

15 minutes after that Mal gets another chance but gets underneath the ball and sends it high and wide.

2 minutes after that at the United States finally finds the netting, thanks to a gaffe by the Swedish defender which sees the ball pretty much drop at Alex Morgan’s feet, and she makes no mistake in sending it and tying the game up.

When the referee blows her whistle after the 3rd minute of added time and the teams tied at one, the teams brace for extra time.

Charlotte hears the door open but is focused on the screen, she doesn’t even notice that Finn is there until the whistle blows.

“Extra time huh?”

Charlotte turns to face him, “Yeah, the US just hasn’t been able to finish today, so many chances squandered in and around the box. So, what’s up with you?”

“Not much, just came over to see if you wanted to play some video games, but I guess that’s not happening until the soccer game is over.”

“Sorry Finn, probably not going to happen tonight. We can hang all day tomorrow if you like, I’ll even treat you to a burger, from the shack.”

“And a milkshake?” Finn looks at her and smiles. “Yes, you can get a milkshake as well.”

“Cool, you’re on. So, okay if I stick around for a bit, I want to see how the game ends.”

“Yep, I’m warning you now though that if another Swedish player takes out Mal from behind, I’m going to be yelling at the referee again; she’s kept her pocket zipped during the match and it’s pissing me off.”

Finn laughs, “Okay, I could already hear you yelling outside, you know.”

“What can I say, nobody hurts my baby.”

The teams play through the two periods of extra time unable to break the deadlock, with Mal being subbed out in the 114th minute of the game in favour of her roommate and fellow Coloradoan Lindsey Horan.

“So shoot out huh?”

Charlotte shushes him as her eyes are glued to the screen.

Alex Morgan steps to the line and her shot is blocked by Lindhahl while Lotta Schelin catches Solo flat to give them the lead.

Horan and Allsani both score on their attempts and then Carli finds the netting on the US’ third attempt with Sembrant unsuccessful in her attempt for the Swedes as Solo comes up with the big save.

Morgan Brian and Caroline Seger both succeed in finding the netting putting the pressure on Christen Press to do the same. Press strikes the ball hard and sends it high and over the goal, setting up Lisa Dahlkvist to be the hero is she can get the ball past Solo, which she does with ease.

Charlotte feels an arm wrap around her as she wipes the tears from her face, she can only imagine how Mal and the rest of her teammates are feeling right now having been upset by the Swedes and eliminated from medal contention.

“Finn, I think I just want to be alone right now, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Finn understanding how disappointed she is feeling for Mal right now gives her a quick hug and heads out.

Charlotte continues to watch the Olympic coverage unaware of the current goings-on of the US team and their goalkeeper.

Soon the stations start to break in with clips of Hope Solo going off on a tangent and calling the opposition of a group of cowards for playing a defensive-minded game rather than attacking them and indicating that the best team weren’t the winners on the day.

The comments only adding to the fuel surrounding the world-class keeper with the troubled past.

A few hours later as Charlotte is laying in bed, her phone rings and she smiles at the name on the screen.

“Hey Mally, how are you?”

She can tell that her girlfriend has been or is currently crying by the tone of her voice, “I really wish you were here right now.”

“I wish I was there for you right now, too. Are you doing okay?”

“Not really, did you happen to see what happened after the game?”

“You mean the comments that Hope made?”

“Yeah. We ended up in closed-door meetings afterwards discussing everything and Hope has a meeting when we get back to the States with US Soccer.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“No, the girls were saying that because this isn’t her first code of conduct violation that US Soccer is going to be pretty heavy-handed with her. It’s pretty ridiculous that she could lose her job simply for speaking her mind and probably if it was someone on the men’s team they would walk away with just a slap on the wrist.”

“It is ridiculous. When are you coming home?”

“Not sure, they haven’t told us our travel info yet. I’ll call or message you as soon as I know. I have to go now, but I needed to hear your voice. I love you C.J. and I’ll see you soon.”

“Love you too, Mally, be safe.”


	19. Chapter 19

Charlotte waits at Dulles International Airport for the USWNT to arrive home after their disappointing result at the Rio Olympics. She is surrounded by fans and family members, wearing the Red, White and Blue of their heroes as well as numerous members of media vying for the chance to get clips and comments for their outlets.

Not wanting to get involved in anything, Charlotte does her best to remain invisible while wearing one of Mal's shirts that her girlfriend left behind when she visited her at home after her surgery.

The crowd gets louder as the doors open and the first few players and staff members begin to appear. Charlotte scans around looking for Mal while holding a single red rose and a small teddy bear for her that she got at the gift shop. She spent quite a while debating what to get Mal, knowing that she shouldn't show up empty-handed to meet her and finally settling on the items, there was chocolate as well, but waiting is hard work and she got hungry.

Mal knows that Charlotte was planning on meeting her flight at the airport so hopefully, she will be looking for her as well in the crowd.

Charlotte smiles when she sees Mal walking beside Lindsey, the height difference noticeable as they walk together smiling and laughing as they deal with the flashes while approaching the large group. She takes her phone out and sends a quick message, hoping that Mal will hear or feel her phone that she notices she is currently holding in her hand.

New Message

C.J.: Look to your right beautiful.

Mal stops and smiles when she sees the message on the screen, before looking over, scanning the crowd and locking eyes with her. Mal taps Lindsey on the arm and says something to her before they both begin walking in her direction.

Mal puts down her carryon and jumps in Charlotte's arms, letting the tears flow as she is held tightly. Charlotte holds her and lets her know everything will be alright as Lindsey watches on.

Once Mal lets go and takes a step back, Charlotte passes her the rose and bear.

"I wasn't exactly sure what I should get you, but I figured I shouldn't show up empty-handed. There was some chocolate as well, but I kinda got hungry."

Mal and Lindsey laugh, "It's okay, you can make it up to me later."

Lindsey looks at them, "So, I guess no one is going to introduce me. I'm Lindsey." Lindsey puts her hand out to Charlotte, who laughs, before shaking it. "It's nice to meet you Lindsey and thank you for looking after Mal for me."

"Your welcome, honestly she's a handful!" Mal nudges her, "Am not!"

"No, you're not. I should get back to the group, are you guys coming back to the hotel? Most of the girls aren't flying out until tomorrow, so we're going to have one last team supper before dispersing."

Mal looks at Charlotte, "It's up to you, but I'd really like to introduce you to the girls."

"Are we okay to be open around them?" Charlotte looks at her questioningly.

Mal smiles and nods, "Yes."

"Next question, can I stay with you tonight, I didn't get a room yet."

Mal looks at Lindsey who nods, "Just keep it PG." They all laugh. "Deal."

Charlotte reaches down to collect her bag and Mal's, "Lead the way, Mally."

After getting settled at the hotel, Charlotte and Mal lay on the bed and smile at each other, "I missed you so much, Mal. I hated not being able to be there and hold you in my arms and reassure you."

"It's okay, you needed to be here for rehab and I knew you would always answer my calls and messages regardless of the time of day or night. Speaking of rehab, how's it going?"

"Really well, you can come with me to my next session if you like."

"I would like that, but right now there's something that I would like even more." Mal leans over and joins their lips and gradually the two increase the pressure and deepen the kiss, making up for the lost time.

A pillow comes flying over and hits them, "I'm still here!"

They separate and laugh, "Sorry, Linds. What time are we meeting the girls at?"

"7 according to the last message in the chat."

Charlotte takes her phone and sets an alarm, before placing it on the nightstand and standing up to pull back the covers, Mal stands up and does the same, knowing exactly what her girlfriend is thinking at the moment.

They climb under the covers and exchange a kiss before snuggling up together, closing their eyes and drifting off for a short time.

Charlotte hears voices in the room around them and listens to what they are saying.

"Ah, look at them, they're so cute together."

"Shh! Don't wake them up!"

"Worms, put your phone away!"

"I just want to take a pic of not so baby Mal and her girlfriend."

Alex puts her hand out and takes Kelley's phone. "There will be no pictures taken, understood?"

"Yes, Mom."

Charlotte laughs at the comment, letting them know that she is, in fact, awake and listening to them. She opens her eyes and smiles and the group at the foot of the bed.

"Hey." She slowly slides back from Mal in hopes of allowing her to continue sleeping for a bit longer. Climbing out of the bed and over to the group. She puts her hand out, "I'm Charlotte, but most people call me Charlie or C.J. It's really a pleasure to meet you, Alex, Allie, Kelley and Morgan."

"It's nice to meet you, Charlie. Mal told us about your knee and surgery, how's your recovery coming along?"

"So far so good, hoping to be back on the pitch soon and better than ever."

"I had the chance to watch you play at the U20's and was impressed, don't rush your recovery, I wouldn't want to see you experience any setbacks."

"Thanks, Alex, I appreciate it. Is it okay if join you guys for supper tonight or is it a team only thing?"

"You are more than welcome to join us, there are family members and significant others tagging along as well. It will give us an opportunity to get to know each other better and determine if what Mal has said about you is truthful."

Charlotte looks at them, "What exactly has Mal told you about me?"

They hear a voice, "I told them that you were beautiful, smart, talented and had a heart of gold."

Kelley pipes up, "And that you were heading to Stanford soon."

Charlotte smiles, "Go Cardinals!"

"Hell yeah! Okay Mal, I like her already."

"You easy to impress, KO."

"Not true!"

They all look at Kelley and she shrugs, "Okay, maybe a little true. But I'm interested in hearing all about you and why you chose Stanford. Mal mentioned that you turned down MIT, so that means you are some sort of Brainiac underneath the shorts and shirt right?"

Charlotte laughs, "I turned down a bunch of offers, before settling on Stanford because I felt that they would provide me with the best educational and athletic experience and yeah, I am pretty smart."

"I hope you are smart enough to look after Mal and treat her the way she should be."

Charlotte walks over to where Mal is sitting on the bed and takes her hand, "Trust me that's never going to be a problem." She lifts her hand up and kisses it, drawing "Awws, from the other girls in the room."

"C'mon guys let's leave the lovebirds alone now."

Alex ushers the others out of the room and nods towards Mal and Charlotte.

Mal turns to face Lindsey, "Did you let them in?"

Lindsey shakes her head, "I was sleeping, I'm going to assume they got a card from the front desk and let themselves in."

"Sounds like something KO would do, but I'm surprised the others went along with it."

"Mal, you're the baby of the team and you've talked about Charlie nonstop they were curious to meet her and see the two of you together."

"Yeah, I guess I get it, but they could have at least waited until supper to start the questioning."

Mal looks at the time and pulls Charlotte back on the bed with her, "We've still got a bit of time before the alarm goes off."

They lay there quietly just enjoying the feeling off being together until the alarm goes off.

Lindsey gets up and lets them know she's grabbing a shower. Once they hear the water start running, they join their mouths and their hands start wandering.

Mal smiles at Charlotte and strokes her stomach, "I love you, C.J."

"I love you too, Mally. I want you to know that when you are ready to talk about everything I here for you."

"Thank you, right now I'm just trying to absorb everything that has gone on over the last few weeks; most of it feels like a dream sequence. Except for the Sweden game and Hope situation, they're more like nightmares, right now."

Charlotte kisses her temple, "I'm here, and not going anywhere, don't be afraid to let it all out."

"Thank you."

"Shower is all yours, Mal." Lindsey appears in the bathroom doorway towelling off her hair.

"Are you planning on joining me?" Mal looks at Charlotte. "I would love too, but I don't think right now is the best time for that. You go ahead and I'll hang out with Lindsey."

Mal leans over and kisses her before collecting what she needs from her suitcase and heading into the bathroom.

Charlotte collects her bag off the floor and opens it, looking at the clothes she brought. "Umm... Lindsey, I didn't bring anything other than jeans and comfies, I don't need to dress up for tonight do I?"

Lindsey laughs and shakes her head, "Don't worry about it, we are a pretty casual group, jeans will be fine."

"Sweet! Thanks!"

Charlotte thinking nothing of it strips out of her clothes in front of Lindsey and puts on fresh, albeit somewhat wrinkly top and jeans in their place.

"This okay?"

Lindsey looks up, smiles and nods.

Mal emerges from the bathroom and walks towards Charlotte, "I like that shirt, I might have to borrow it sometime."

"I'd give it to you right now, but I didn't exactly pack for an extended stay."

"It's okay, babe."

Charlotte stays close to Mal's side for the remainder of the evening as she is introduced to the members of the team, who weren't required to fly on to Chicago for a meeting with US Soccer or took earlier flights home.

She watches as Mal chats and laughs with some of the girls and joins in the conversation with ease as she is able to converse on a variety of topics. Charlotte excuses herself to head to the washroom and on the way back, crosses paths with Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger. She has a fangirl moment, before saying hello to them and continuing back to the table. She hears them laughing and hears the words, "Happy and cute together."

Christen Press joins them at their table, "KO mentioned you are headed to Stanford in a few weeks."

Charlotte nods, "Yeah, full academic and athletic scholarship; unfortunately, won't be on the field this season though."

"How long into recovery are you?"

"5 weeks out."

"Long ways to go, but stay with it, work hard and have faith in yourself. I expect that based on what Mal has been telling all of us about you, that one day soon you will be playing alongside us."

"I hope so, that's my dream."

"It was mine as well and still is. Best of luck." Christen stands up and begins to walk back towards the larger group and Charlotte speaking louder than usual says, "Thanks, Christen, I really appreciate it."

Christen smiles and nods in acknowledgement. 

Mal rejoins her, "You ready to head back to the hotel, I'm feeling the travel."

"Of course, let me square up our meals and we can get out of here."

"Babe, you don't need to do that; I got it."

"Fine, but next time it's on me."

"Deal." Mal kisses her gently on the lips before tracking down the waiter.

After catching a cab back to the hotel, they get changed and ready for bed.

"Alarm set?"

"Yes. Hey Mal, you aren't going to be in trouble with your family for not going directly back to Denver with them are you?"

"No, they know that I'm spending time with you before you head to school."

"How about once I get situated at school, we make plans for me and your family to meet."

"Sounds like a plan, but right now can we please sleep, I'm exhausted."

They exchange kisses and then Mal snuggles into Charlotte's arms before they fall asleep. 


	20. Chapter 20

The next day Mal says goodbye to her USWNT mates before she and Charlotte head to the airport for their flight to Ogdensburg, NY.

As they take their seats on the plane, Charlotte leans over and kisses Mal on the temple before taking her hand and holding it.

Mal smiles and laughs, “I can’t wait for us to be able to spend time together and not be on a clock or under a microscope.”

“I used to always hate living in a small town, but now having been away from it and seeing the effects that being in the public eye can have on people, I’m really glad to have someplace to retreat to where I can just be me. I can only imagine what is going through your head and heart right now, Mal, and I hope that I am able to provide you with everything you need to be okay.”

Mal squeezes her hand and looks at her, “You being here right now with me is everything I need.”

Charlotte smiles and mouths, “I love you” towards her, which Mal returns.

They put their heads back and try to relax for the relatively short flight.

As they walk out with their bags and suitcases, Mackenzie comes into view. She leads them out to her car and once the luggage is stowed in the trunk, takes the time to hug both of them.

“I thought Mom was supposed to meet us, Kenz.”

“Something came up at um, work, so I offered to come and get you guys.”

“I would have thought you would have been too busy with your new unnamed boyfriend.”

“That didn’t work out, he was Red Sox fan for God’s sake!”

“Eww, glad you got rid of him, we can’t have Sox fans in our house.”

“Umm… what about Rockies fans?”

“Uh oh Sis, you might have to break up with her.”

Mal looks at her, “What? No!”

Mackenzie and Charlotte both bust out laughing at her, “She’s only kidding, Babe.”

Mal smacks Charlotte’s arm, “Oww! That hurt!”

“And you think the mere mention of you breaking up with me didn’t?”

“It was Kenz who said it not me!”

“Yeah, but the difference being, she is the one currently driving and you’re beside me.”

“You guys want to stop and get something to eat before we head home?”

“Yes!”

Mackenzie laughs, “How’d I know you’d be hungry C.J.?”

“Because she always is,” Mal responds.

“I can’t help it that I’m growing and need extra fuel.”

“Growing, huh? You’re for sure growing and not necessarily in a good way, Sis.”

“Shut up, Kenz! As soon as I’m allowed to get moving again the little food belly I’ve developed will disappear, what’s your excuse?”

Mackenzie switches off the turn signal, “Just for that you can wait until we get home to eat.”

“But, but …”

“Fine, but you’re buying Sis, I’m pretty sure you can afford it.”

“Sorry about my rude Sister’s behaviour, Mal.”

Mal laughs, “It’s fine, you guys are actually pretty hilarious together, reminds me of Brianna and my relationship.”

“I look forward to meeting her soon if she’s anything like you I’m sure I will love her right away.” Mal leans over and kisses her.

“NO PDA IN MY CAR!”

They stop to grab some lunch at a local diner before finishing the drive back to the Gordon’s.

After dropping their stuff in Charlotte’s room, they lay down on her bed and start to get comfy when Mackenzie knocks on the door frame.

“Sorry to interrupt, but C.J. can I talk with you in the office alone for a few minutes?”

“Can it wait?” Mackenzie shakes her head.

Charlotte leans over and kisses Mal on the cheek, “I’ll be back.”

Charlotte follows Mackenzie into the office and shuts the door behind herself.

“What’s up?”

“I need to know when you are planning on telling Mal about your alter ego because I just got a message from Finn’s Dad indicating the books are two weeks out from the mainstream.”

Charlotte sits down, “I’m not sure how to tell her Kenz, I want to but I think I’m scared too, you know?”

“I get it. What about if we use this week as a bit of a test and or trial period to gauge how she will react.”

“What are you proposing?”

“Does Mal like to read?”

Charlotte nods. “Then how about we plant the seed in her head that she needs to read these hot new books by J.C. Glass because they are about to blow up!”

“So… we are planning on acting like we are reading them and then hyping them up by talking about them in front of her, making it so she wants to read them?”

“Exactly. We can even get Finn in on the action and maybe even Mom as well.”

“You don’t think that is going to send the wrong message to her when I end up coming clean with her?”

“No, either she likes the books or she doesn’t. The books are a part of you and I’m sure that she will appreciate your need to come clean and be honest with her about everything when all is said and done.”

“I hope so, Kenz, I can’t lose her. I love her too much.” Mackenzie wraps her arms around her as Charlotte cries into them.

“I know you do. Now take some breaths, calm yourself, grab one of your books and go and curl up with the girl. I’m going to head out for a while to give you guys some alone time and Mom will be home eventually with groceries. And you maybe want to lock your bedroom door, if you know.”

Charlotte laughs and winks, “We’ll get to that later, I’m sure. Thanks, Kenz.”

Charlotte heads out of the office and back to her bedroom, finding that Mal has already gotten herself changed into some comfies and following suit, changing before grabbing a copy of The Known off her nightstand and getting comfortable on the bed.

Mal takes the book from her hand and reads the brief description on the back cover before handing it back to Charlotte, “Have you read it yet? Is it good?”

“I have and I liked it very much, would you like to borrow it to read?”

“Would that be okay?”

“Of course. Just so you know, if you like it, there are two other books in the series.”

“And you’ve already read them all, haven’t you?”

“Yes. Kenz and Finn have as well, so if you want, we could talk about them.”

“That would be fun, I think, I’ve never really talked about books except for the ones that I was forced to read for school.”

Charlotte laughs, “I’m not forcing you to read them, I honestly think you will enjoy them and it would be nice to talk about them with you. We can have our own little book club, maybe we could even come up with a name for it!”

Mal laughs and shakes her head, “You must really like the books because I haven’t seen you get that excited about anything except soccer or maybe food.”

“I do like the books and I really want to share them with you, I want to share everything I enjoy with you, Mally. That’s what a relationship is supposed to be about right? Spending time together, sharing things, being open and honest and loving each other.”

“I honestly love you, Charlotte Gordon.”

“I honestly love you too, Mallory Pugh. I’m going to grab a bottle of water, would you like one?”

“Yes, please.” Charlotte leans over and kisses her, “Be right back.”

Charlotte returns with the bottles of water in hand and finds that Mal has already started reading the book. She sets the bottle down beside her and grabs another book of her shelf and then lays down beside her to enjoy some quiet reading time together. 

A few hours later, Carol Gordon smiles as she sees them both with their heads buried in books. She knocks on the doorframe to get their attention.

“Hey Mom, how was work?”

“The usual. It’s nice to see the two of you reading rather than watching television or playing video games.”

“Hi, Ms Gordon, C.J. introduced me to this new author and book and I really can’t put it down, it’s so good.”

Carol smiles at Charlotte when she acknowledges the book in Mal’s hands.

“That’s wonderful to hear, Mal. Do either of you have any preference for supper?”

“We stopped for burgers on the way home, so probably not them, Mom.”

“How about chicken then?”

They both nod, “Do you need any help, Ms Gordon?” Mal looks over at her and asks.

“Thank for the offer Mal, but I have everything under control. I’m sure that you could help Charlotte with the cleanup afterwards though.”

“Mom!”

“Just because Mal is here doesn’t mean you get out of helping around the house young lady.”

“Yes, Mom. Can I take your car to my appointment tomorrow? Mal can drive us home if I’m sore.”

“Alright.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Mal laughs. “What’s so funny?”

“This Sarah chick is kind of badass I like her.”

Charlotte nods while thinking about the fact that Sarah ends up dying, but being unable to give away the plot to Mal, she just continues nodding along in agreement.

“So, I take it that you are liking the book so far?”

“Yeah, it’s not what I usually read but I don’t know how to explain it really other than saying I feel a connection to the characters.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, because the characters along with a good plot are the most important part of a book, right?”

“Uh-huh.” Mal goes back to the book and Charlotte can only watch and smile at her.

“I’m going to go and get the table set for supper, you keep reading.”

“Uh-huh.”

Charlotte heads out to the kitchen where her Mom is.

“I noticed that Mal is reading The Known, have you told her yet?”

Charlotte shakes her head, “No. I plan on, but I wanted her to read the books first and give her impression of them before hitting her with the fact that I’m the one who wrote them.”

“Okay, I understand that, but she needs to be told soon because once the books hit the mainstream who knows what will happen.”

“I know and I fully intend on telling her before I have to leave for school and her for home. Thanks for letting her come and stay here Mom, she sounded so sad when I talked to her after they lost and I felt horrible that I wasn’t there to hold and support her in her time of need. I think us being here and spending time together will be exactly what we both need to get going in the right direction again.”

“Mal, is always welcome here, Charlotte. Now, get the table set, supper is almost ready.”

“Do I need a plate for Kenz?”

“No, she messaged and said she was eating with friends, so it’s just the three of us.”

Charlotte collects what she needs and sets the table before heading back to her bedroom and getting Mal.

“C’mon, supper time.”

Mal looks at her and grins, “I’m more in the mood for dessert rather than supper.”

“We can have fun later, Baby, right now let’s eat real food.”

After supper and spending time chatting with Carol, they tidy up the kitchen and dishes together before retreating to the bedroom once more.

“You ready for dessert, yet?”

Charlotte doesn’t answer and in turn, gets up to make sure her bedroom door is locked and she puts on some soft music to drown out any noises before she climbs on the bed with her girlfriend, “So, ready.”

They spend the next while getting reacquainted with each other and each other’s body before laying together their naked bodies intertwined and falling asleep.


	21. Chapter 21

The next day, Mal and Charlotte head to Charlotte's appointment together and as she goes through the paces of her exercises and stretches Mal watches from the side smiling and cheering her on as she slowly walks on the treadmill.

After she completes her workout, Charlotte sits down with them to discuss her progress and what's coming next.

"Everything is looking really good so far, Charlie, keep up the good work and provided there is no swelling and or pain in the meantime we'll see about getting you moving a bit more at your next appointment, sound good?"

Charlotte nods, "So in the meantime, I keep doing the at-home stuff like I have been, right?"

"Exactly, just remember not to overdo it and stop if there are any signs of discomfort."

"Okay, I can do that. Are you going to forward on my case information to Stanford or do I have to look after that?"

"We've already been in contact with the professional team at Stanford and we'll be sending them your records following your next appointment. You don't need to worry about anything Charlie, we are aware of how important it is for you to make a full recovery as soon as possible and get you back out on the field better than ever. You're a bit of a local celebrity around here you know because of what you accomplished in high school and playing at the U20's ."

"All that seems like a lifetime ago. All I can think about right now is getting back out on the pitch and kicking a ball around as soon as possible."

"Give it time and it will happen and from the looks of it, you have yourself a pretty strong support system."

Charlotte looks at Mal and nods, "Yeah, I definitely do. I'll see you in a few weeks. Thanks for everything."

They head out to the car and Charlotte drives them home before heading back to her room to lay down for a bit.

Mal lays down beside her, "Are you okay? You didn't get bad news, did you? , you didn't say a word on the drive home."

"Yeah, just frustrated, I guess. I'm sorry, Mal, I shouldn't take it out on you."

"It's okay, I know you are struggling with everything and I'm here to help you."

"You have enough to deal with right now, you shouldn't have to deal with a grumpy, girlfriend on top of everything else."

Mal laughs, "You mean cute, grumpy, girlfriend and it's really okay."

"How are you doing, Mal?"

Mal takes a deep breath, "I'll get through, I'm disappointed in the results but no one can take away the fact that I worked my ass off to make the team and made it and represented my country at the Olympics as a teenager and well, I have no control over what happens to Hope."

"That's for sure, you have no idea how incredibly proud I am of you. I still have a hard time believing that you are here and my girlfriend sometimes, you know?"

Mal smiles, "Believe it. I'm not going anywhere, ever, C.J."

They kiss and Mal notices that Charlotte has tears running down her cheeks as they separate.

"What's really going on in that beautiful mind of yours?"

"I have something that I need to tell you and I'm really not sure how you are going to take it and I'm scared that you will leave me and I really don't want that to happen because I love you so much and ..."

"Woah, slow down and talk to me."

"I need you to promise me that what I'm about to tell you stays between us and only us, okay? Not even your family can know, yet, anyway."

"C.J. you're scaring me, what's really going on?"

"Promise me." Charlotte looks her right in the eyes and watches as she nods. "I promise."

"It's nothing bad or scary, at least I don't think so, anyway." Charlotte points to the book that was in Mal's hand. "The book that you are currently reading, "The Known," I told you that the identity of the true author is a mystery and no ones for sure who wrote it, well I did, I wrote it."

"What? What do you mean you wrote it? I'm confused."

"Let me finish talking and tell you the entire story and then you can ask me anything you need to, okay?"

Mal nods her head.

Charlotte stands up and reaches for Mal's hand, "Come with me, it'll be easier to explain if I can show you a few things."

Mal follows Charlotte into the office and takes a seat on the couch. Charlotte walks over to the filing cabinet and takes out the folder with her father's original scribblings and notations about the Known as passes them over to Mal to look through.

"My father was an absolutely brilliant man, he was my hero and through his work and research, he developed something he referred to as "The Known Theory" the basis of which was that in the future computers will have surpassed us intelligence wise and that every person will be implanted with a chip that will dictate their future for them and take away our ability to think and or choose for ourselves. From the day we are born everything about us will be known, our thoughts, feelings, emotions, skills, talents everything will be fed to machines and the information gathered used to tell us how we should live and who we should love.

He wrote papers on the topic and they were never well-received, rather than completely dropping the idea of it all, he realized that I was a talented writer and could make something out the ideas; and he started to outline a series of books for us to work on and write together, something I didn't know about until after he passed away and I stumbled upon that folder.

As a way of honouring him and our relationship, I dug in and wrote "The Known" and then "Into The Unknown," while balancing school and soccer. I submitted them to be printed but originally publishers wanted nothing to do with them or me, so I struggled with finding the motivation to continue writing and finish out the series. With the help of Kenz, my Mom, Finn and his parents I was able to self-publish the first two books and they started selling really well at the university and also a few other spots. We ended up tripling our original orders for them and still weren't able to keep the copies in stock. 

After I got hurt, returned home and had surgery, I wasn't able to do anything physical, so I decided to turn my attention back to writing with the result being "Know-How" the final book in the series. It came together really quickly because I already knew how everything was going to play out and had found the needed motivation to finish everything out. 

The ink wasn't even dry on "Know-How" when pictures began circulating of a celebrity reading and carrying around "The Known" and soon afterwards I was contacted by a few legit publishing houses, offering me money and wanting to print my books. I signed a contract with Dell Publishing while you were in Brazil and the books are currently in the process of being printed and scheduled to ship out to mainstream stores in about two weeks.

Mal, I know this is a lot to take in and I understand if you need time to absorb everything, but I want you to know that since the first day we met I've wanted to tell you about them, but I needed to wait until I knew they were something worth being proud of and not embarrassing to you or me."

Charlotte looks at Mal and sees her wiping away tears, "You are right, it is a lot to take in and I do need time to process it all, but I'm really happy that you were finally able to tell me and you don't need to worry your secret is safe with me. I love you and this information doesn't change that. There is one thing I need to know though, "Who the heck is J.C. Glass?"

Charlotte laughs, "Obviously, it's a pseudonym. The J stands for Jason which was my father's first name, the C for Charlotte, which is self-explanatory and Glass is pretty much just a play on transparency."

"You really wrote them?"

"I did."

Mal looks at her before standing up and walking towards the door, "Wow! Now, I really need to finish reading them."

"Mal, are we okay?"

Mal walks back over to Charlotte and gently kisses her on the lips, "We are okay. I always knew you were special C.J. and knowing this about you just reinforces it."

"You do remember that you promised not to tell anyone, right?"

"I do and I won't, but I think that you owe me an outing because apparently you can afford it."

"I can and I have an idea about that. You will need your passport for it."

"Where are you taking me?"

"My Grandparents live just outside of Ottawa, I haven't been to see them in a couple of months, How, would you like to meet them and spend a day exploring Canada's Capital?"

"Are we flying there?"

Charlotte laughs and shakes her head, "No, we'll drive. It's not far from here."

"Wait, so are your Grandparents Canadian?"

"My Grandmother is, my Grandfather is American and my Mom is dual."

"So, does that mean you could have played for Canada rather than the States?"

"I guess so, but I was born here and if I had chosen to play for Canada then in all likelihood I would have never met you and I don't even want to think about that."

"Me neither." They kiss and hold each other. 

"You have no idea how relieved I am that you finally know and I don't have to continue being secretive around you about things. Although I'm kinda disappointed not to have been able to play out my long game and then tell you later this week." 

"What do you mean long game? 

"Kenz and I had discussed a few ways to get you interested in the books and reading them first before I told you the truth, but I guess I jumped the gun on that one." 

"I'm glad you did because it's obviously something that has been eating you up and I know that we promised not to have any secrets between us. I still can't believe that you are a published author."

Charlotte laughs, "Me neither, but, I can't wait to be able to walk into bookstores and see my books for sale; I really hope that people will like and buy them." 

"I'm only halfway through the first book and I don't want it to end, I have a feeling that your books are going to do really well and when they do, I'll take some jewellery." 

Charlotte laughs, "Not very subtle are you, Pugh?" 

Mal shakes her head, "So exactly how rich are you?" 

"I'm not rich, Mal. I pretty much took the advance the publishing company gave me and directed chunks of it to my Mom, Kenz, and Finn. Finn's parents wouldn't allow me to share the money with them, so I made sure that Finn would have access to money if he needed to buy anything not covered by his scholarship, same as Kenz, the money I gave her went towards paying her school loan down." 

"You're amazing, you know that?" 

"I don't, maybe you could show me just how amazing I am."

"Lock the door, baby." 

Later on, as they make their way out for supper holding hands and smiling, Carol watches them. 

"Did the two of you have a good afternoon?" 

"Umm. oh, yeah, Mal knows about the books now, I told her."

Carol turns to face Mal, "And what do you think about them, Mal?" 

"I haven't finished reading the first book yet, but so far, it's really good and knowing now that my beautiful and talented girlfriend is the one who wrote the series, makes me love them already." 

"So, you don't have an issue with them or with the fact that they are written under a different name?" 

"No, C.J. explained the rationale behind everything and I fully support her and the idea of keeping her identity as the writer a secret. It's actually pretty cool to know something that the general public doesn't or won't until the time is right." 

Carol looks at her daughter, "Pretty sure I told you, that you had nothing to be afraid of and should tell her all along, right?" 

"Yes, Mom, you were right."

"What was that? Not sure I heard you."

Charlotte and Mal laugh, "You were right, Mom." 

Carol laughs, "That never gets old." 

The front door opens and Mackenzie walks in along with Finn right close behind. 

"Um C.J. can we talk to you in private for a moment?" 

"Guys, if it's about the books or my alter ego, Mal knows, I told her earlier." 

"Oh, okay, that makes things a lot easier. I just wanted to let you know that I received an email earlier indicating that they are going to ship the books out to stores in waves so that they are staggered and don't all hit stores at the same time. So The Known will hit stores in two weeks as originally stated and then Into The Unknown in a few months and then Know-How a few months after that. They don't want to satiate the market off the get-go." 

"Okay, that makes sense anything else?" 

"Finn, you need to tell her." 

"Alright, it's nothing bad. They were just inquiring if you had any other books in the works after these ones." 

"Did you respond to them?" 

"No, I wasn't sure what to say." 

"You can tell them that I am currently on a writing hiatus."

"Okay, wait, does that mean you actually do have an idea for another book?" 

"I do, but I want to see how these ones do first before I start something else, not to mention that writing another book isn't a high priority to me right now, rehabbing, building my relationship with Mal and school are. You can also let them know then when and or if I write said book they will have the first option to buy it." 

Mackenzie pulls Mal aside, "You need to find out what she is thinking about writing about, ok? Please?" 

Mal shakes her head, "I'm sure when she is ready she will tell you, but I'm not getting involved in it or pressuring her." 

"C'mon Mal, I'm sure you have ways of making her talk, mainly well, you know." 

Mal laughs, "What exactly are you suggesting, Kenz?" 

"Bring it up while the two of you are, you know." 

"You want me to bring up her books and or book idea while we're having sex? Yeah, that's definitely not going to happen because it will be an instant mood killer and C.J. and I have limited time together before we head in separate directions again and I want to make the most of it." 

"You really love her, don't you?" 

"I do. She once told me a story about how your father knew from the moment he met your Mom that they were meant to be together; I feel that way about her and I, that we are meant to be together."

Mackenzie pulls Mal into her arms and holds her tight, "You better look after her because if you don't.." 

Mal laughs, "I know and I plan to." 

Mackenzie and Mal make their way back over to the group and Charlotte takes Mal's arm, "What did Kenz want?" 

Mal laughs, "I may or may not have just had the chat with your sister." 

"Ohhh." 


	22. Chapter 22

Charlotte walks into her bedroom and smiles at Mal sitting on the bed with her head buried in The Known. She watches for a few minutes and smiles, feeling the love she has for the girl flow through her as she does so. 

She doesn't want to interrupt her but knows they need to get a move on if they want to make it to Ottawa before lunchtime.

Charlotte takes a seat on the bed beside her, "Baby, we need to leave now. You can bring the book with you, you know." 

Mal looks up at her, "But I'm almost done, I need to know what happens and it's not as if you're going to tell me." 

Charlotte laughs and shakes her head, "No, I could tell you everything there is to know about them or remain mute and let you read and understand them for yourself. I choose the latter mostly because I enjoy watching you react to certain parts of the storyline and then we can talk about them together. "Now, really, we should head out." 

"Okay. I have my passport and an overnight bag, anything else I need?" 

"No, we are going to stay at my Grandparents and it's not as if there isn't a Wal-Mart within a 10-minute drive in every direction or a Tim Horton's for that matter."

"Tim Horton's? That's the coffee place you told me about right?" Charlotte nods and leans over to kiss Mal on the cheek, "Let's go beautiful." 

In no time at all, they are in line to make the crossing into Canada. 

"Mally, can you hand me your passport and grab mine from my bag, please. We shouldn't have any problems, they usually just check them, ask where you're headed, how long you'll be and then send you on your way." 

Charlotte pulls to a stop and touches the button to make the window go down when they reach the booth. 

"Morning, passports, please." 

Charlotte hands them over while the gentleman in the booth checks them over. 

"Where are you headed today and how long are you planning on being there?" 

"We're headed to Ottawa to visit my Grandparents, staying overnight and then returning sometime tomorrow." 

He nods and hands Charlotte back her passport, holding Mal's and making them nervous as he does. 

"Can I ask are you, Mallory Pugh the soccer player who just played in the Olympics for the US?" 

Mal leans over, "I am." 

"Would it be possible to get you to pull over to the side, so I could get an autograph and picture with you? I wouldn't normally do it, but my daughter is a huge soccer fan." 

Charlotte looks at Mal who nods, "We can do that. Where should we park?" 

"Just pull ahead to the spots on the right, I'll radio inside to have someone come out and cover me for a few minutes." He hands Charlotte, Mal's passport and raises the gate for them to drive through and over to the spots. 

"You okay, Mal?" 

"Yeah, it's just weird to be recognized as an individual rather than a part of the team." 

Charlotte smiles, "You better get used to it, Babe. You are just starting out." 

They step out of the car and after Mal takes a couple of pictures with the officer and signs an autograph for his daughter, they are released and sent on their way. 

Mal sits back and looks at her surroundings as Charlotte pulls the car to a stop in a parking lot. 

"Are we there already?" 

"No Babe, this is only Cornwall, we stopped so I could introduce you to a Canadian family tradition. We always used to stop here and Kenz and I would get hot chocolates and Tim Bits, while my parents would get a coffee each for the drive to my Grandparent's house." 

"What are Tim Bits?" Charlotte laughs, "Donut holes, Babe."

After collecting their coffees and Tim Bits, they sit in the car for a few minutes eating a couple and trying not to make a mess of the interior. 

"What do you think?" 

Mal nods with her mouth full mumbles, "Good."

"My Grandparents aren't expecting us until around supper time, so I thought we could take the scenic route and I could point out and tell you about stuff on the way." 

"You really know a lot about this area, don't you?" 

"I used to always spend parts of my school vacations and or holidays with my Grandparents when I was younger and I was fascinated by the sights of the city and had to learn everything about them including the history of the structures and people." 

Mal smiles and nods to the response, "C.J. can I ask, do your Grandparents know that I'm your girlfriend or do they think I'm just a friend?"

"I don't keep secrets from them, Mal, they know that we are together and that I love you very much. Just one thing, they don't believe in sleeping together before marriage, so you'll be in the bedroom and I'm on the couch tonight." 

"I'll sleep on the couch, you can have the bed." 

"It's really fine, they have a foldout couch, it's old and kinda lumpy, but I'm sure I can get through one night on it. Now, back to your history lesson, pay attention there will be a quiz at the end." 

"Really?" 

"No, I just like looking smart in front of you, it helps my ego. But really there isn't much of note on this section of the trip unless you want me to talk about the Lost Villages and the St. Lawrence Seaway?" 

"Lost Villages as in abandoned or ghost towns?" 

"As in flooded. There were like 10 villages and hamlets that were flooded in 1958 by blowing up the existing dam so that they could enlarge and deepen the seaway to allow for larger vessels and ships to travel through the area and also be connected to the Great Lakes. Further back in the other direction there is now an expansive hydroelectric dam that powers most of the surrounding area." 

"What happened to the people that lived in the villages?" 

"They were given a lot of notice as to what was going to happen and given the choice to relocate their houses if possible and collect their belongings. Most of them moved and settled into nearby counties. Remind me when we're back home to pull up some of the videos that have been made about it, it's really fascinating to watch because they show the infrastructure is still intact even underneath the water, there are parts where even the old roadways exist and can be seen in low tide." 

"You sure you want to learn about airplanes and spaceships at school? because it sounds like you are really interested in all of this." 

"I am, but I love the idea of being able to learn about space and flight more. That doesn't mean that I can't minor in something as well." 

"C.J. pull the car over." 

"Babe, we're on the highway and there are no shoulders." 

"Then get off at the next exit." 

"Why?" 

"Because you and your big brain always manage to turn me on and I really want to kiss you, okay?" 

"Yes, dear." 

Charlotte does as Mal requests pulling over once they are off the highway, so they can have a makeout session. 

"If we weren't in my Mom's car, I would make love to you right now, Mal." 

"Someone's got some raging hormones." Charlotte looks at her and laughs, "Really? You started it and we are teenagers." Mal smiles and shrugs. 

Charlotte looks at the time, "It's starting to get late, I'm just going to take us for a drive downtown so you can see the Parliament Buildings and a few other sights before we head to my Grandparent's. Tomorrow, we can head back and have brunch in the market and maybe do some shopping before we head back home. If that's alright with you?" 

"I'm really enjoying just spending time with and learning new things about you, so anything on top of that is a bonus; but I would never turn down the chance to do some shopping." 

Charlotte laughs, "I guess it's a good thing I hit the currency exchange then. Just so you know, we do have a limit on what we can spend while here and need to keep the receipts in case they ask at the border for proof." 

Charlotte parks the car in a parking structure, "To Parliament, we go." 

They spend the next few hours walking around downtown, checking out the Parliament Buildings, the Centennial Flame, Major's Hill Park, the National Art Gallery, Nepean Point and then checking out the Rideau Centre, so Mal can get her shopping fix. 

Mal notices Charlotte wince as she climbs back in the car, "You okay?" 

"Yeah, I haven't done that much walking in a while, so I'm feeling it now." 

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurting?" 

Charlotte rubs her knee, "Didn't wanna look like a wimp in front of my girl." 

"You don't look like a wimp, you look like a dumbass, when we get to your Grandparent's you are grounded and icing, understood?" 

"Yes, Captain Mally." 

Mal shakes her head, "It's a good thing I love you, otherwise you'd be walking right now." 

"I've got the keys, you'd be the one walking." 

A little while later, they pull into a driveway and park. "We're here." 

"Pop the trunk, I got the bags, you get inside." 

Mal collects their bags and then follows Charlotte to the door, where a dog is heard barking. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, the have a Shih Zhu named Gizmo, she's all bark and no bite." 

"Gizmo? As in from the Gremlins?" 

Charlotte smiles, "I named her, I'm not even sure if they have seen the Gremlins." 

They hear a voice telling them to wait for a second and then the door opens revealing Charlotte's Grandmother holding a dog in her arms. "Come on in." 

Mal follows Charlotte inside and Gizmo barks at them before sniffing them and allowing herself to be petting, rolling over to allow Charlotte to rub her belly. 

"Charlotte, how about you introduce me to this beautiful girl hiding behind you." 

"Oh, sorry Grams, this is Mal, my girlfriend." 

"It's very nice to finally meet you Mal, Charlotte talks about you quite often." 

"All good, I hope." 

"Except for the part about you being a Rockies fan." 

Mal looks at her unsure what to say and Charlotte's Grandmother laughs, "I'm only kidding, but we're Blue Jays fans in this household." 

Mal watches as Charlotte emerges from the bedroom, "So how is it that you guys are Blue Jays fans, but C.J. and Kenz are all about the Yankees? Doesn't that make it awkward during family get-togethers?" 

Charlotte smiles, "Not for me, because the Yanks usually always beat the Jays."

"Oh hush, now! Charlotte would you like to call your Grandpa in, he's in the backyard." 

Charlotte heads through the kitchen and down some steps before Mal hears a door open and close. 

"Umm, I'm not sure what to call you, right now, I was wondering if you had some ice, so I could make a wrap for C.J.s knee, she overdid it today taking me downtown, to see the sights and I know she is sore." 

"Mal, it's fine if you call me Grams like Charlotte does and my husband is her Papa. And let's take a look in the freezer and see what we have." 

Mal walks down the hall and laughs at the family pictures on the wall, she is drawn in by one in particular, where Charlotte is crying and holding what looks to be two pieces of a bicycle in her hands. "Grams, what happened here?"

"My husband is very good at designing and building things, Charlotte mentioned that she would like a new bike but they were expensive, so Jim took it upon himself to go around on garbage day and visit yard sales and collect pieces to build her a bicycle, he ended up doing some welding and well needless to say Charlotte was thrilled with her new bicycle until she hit a few bumps and the welds gave out and she hit the ground hard as it fell apart. I couldn't resist taking a picture to capture the moment." 

"Did she ever get a new bike?" 

Grams laughs, "After Jim's failure we took her to the local department store and allowed to pick out a brand new one." 

Mal laughs as she hears voices in the kitchen and they both head in that direction. 

Charlotte laughs at something her Papa says before turning and smiling at Mal, "Mal, this is my Papa. Papa, this is the girl I've been telling you about, my girlfriend, Mal." 

Grams looks at the dirt on Charlotte's pants, "What did he rope you into helping him with this time?" 

"Don't worry Grams, I tripped over the hose when I was helping Papa fix your clothesline." 

Grams looks and Papa and he smiles and nods, "For some reason, I don't believe the two of you troublemakers. Get washed up, both of you! And Charlotte, once that is done, you are to ice your knee, because according to your girlfriend you're stubborn." 

They spend the remainder of the day chatting and getting to know each other. Mal hears all kinds of stories about Charlotte, including how she once got caught shoplifting some cleats. 

"Oh come on Grams, I was like 7 and there were new and shiny and I had to try them on and well I just forgot to take them off before leaving the store. And for your information, I seem to recall the security guy giving me a lollipop afterward." 

"That's because he knew who you were and that we would handle the punishment for it." 

"I was punished?" 

"Maybe you should go out in the yard and take a look at the old shed, it might jog your memory." 

"The painting, that was supposed to be punishment? It was so fun!" 

"For you, maybe, I was the one who had to deal with getting it out of your hair and everywhere else." 

Charlotte laughs and shrugs, "Sorry?" 

Grams stands up, "Mal, would you like to join me in taking Gizmo for her walk before bed?" 

"I don't know, do you think we can trust these two to not get into trouble while we're away?" 

"Jim? Charlotte? Can you be good or do I have to send you to your rooms?" 

"We'll be good Grams, I promise!" 

Mal and Charlotte's Grandmother leash up Gizmo and take the dog out for a walk. 

"It's really nice to see Charlotte so happy, she had an extremely difficult time after Jason's passing." 

"Yeah, it sounds like they were really close." 

"Charlotte was Jason's mini-me, she always wanted to know what he was working on and where he was going. It's part of the reason why she spent so much time with us, she needed to learn how to be a kid and have fun, because she was always so serious except for on the soccer field. The best thing that ever happened was for her to be signed up to play one summer, she loved it from the first day and still loves it. I know her hurting her knee has been a huge blow to her and her confidence, but I can tell in the little time I've known you, that you are very much in love with her and will do everything you can to help her recover and regain her form." 

"I do love her very much and I will be there every step of the way for her. I may not be able to be physically there all the time but I'll always be just a phone call away." 

Grams smiles and nods, "We should head back before the two of them burn the house down." 

"Are they really that bad together?" 

"Let's just say the fire department was here more than once after their experiments caught fire. Charlotte needs to know how things work and Jim is an enabler, who loves his Granddaughters very much and will do anything for them including buying materials and chemicals for experimental purposes." 

Mal busts out laughing, "Oh my God, I'm so glad I'm getting to know this part of C.J. because like you said she is fairly serious most of the time." 

"This is her safe place, Mal, where she can just be herself and let loose and if she has allowed you to come and see it with her, then that means she really does care about you." 

They walk back toward the house and hear some loud popping and laughing, seeing the light from the garage illuminating a couple of bodies, they let Gizmo in the house before checking it out and find Charlotte and her Grandfather playing with cap guns. 

"Where the heck did you find those, I thought I threw them out a long time ago." 

"You did, but I stole them back from the garbage and hid them. We decided to see if they still worked." 

"Mal, you want to try?" 

Charlotte hands the small gun to Mal and she proceeds to go through a set of caps in quick succession. 

"Okay, everyone inside now, before we end up with the cops on our doorstep, again." 

They all head inside and Grams helps set up the sofa bed for Charlotte to sleep on. She and Mal exchange a couple of long, gentle kisses before calling it a night. 

The next morning after saying goodbye to Charlotte's Grandparents they head back downtown and have brunch at one of the cafes before walking around and looking at the stalls and booths. They both pick up a few things before deciding that they should get on the road back to Massena. 

Arriving back at the Gordon household, they nuke some leftover Lasagna and eat it before getting changed into comfies and curling up in bed together each with a book in hand. 

"C.J.?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Thank you for taking me to meet your Grandparents, I really enjoyed meeting them and getting to know more about you." 

Charlotte leans over and kisses her, "You're welcome, just so you know if they didn't approve of you then I would have had to dump you, but they both gave you glowing recommendations and asked that we visit again soon." 

Mal laughs, "Your Papa is something else." 

"He definitely is." 

"You want to tell me what you were doing when the Fire Department had to be called?" 

"How about another time, right now, I just want to kiss and hold and love you until we fall asleep." 

"Your Grandparents don't know about the books, do they?"

"No." 


	23. Chapter 23

Charlotte watches on nervously as Mal flips through the final pages of The Known. 

Mackenzie pokes her head in, "C.J. can I talk to you for a minute in the office?" Charlotte looks at her sister and gets up following her across the hall and closing the door behind them. 

"What do you want, Kenz?" 

"I haven't been around a ton lately, so I thought I would just check in with you and see how things are going with you, got a problem with that?" 

"No." Charlotte shakes her head and takes a seat on the couch. Mackenzie takes a place beside her, "You know you can tell me anything, right?" 

"It's just really getting to me that soon I'll be heading to Stanford and leaving everything and everyone behind and I'm concerned about Mal and I's relationship not surviving the distance." 

Mackenzie smiles, "You do realize those are perfectly normal concerns, right? It's going to be extremely difficult off the start for you to move across the country and get situated, but I'm sure that you will learn to adapt very quickly and immerse yourself in the learning experience like always. Mom and I will always be around if you need to talk as will Finn, I'm sure, you aren't in it alone, Sis. Now, as for Mal, that's really something that you need to talk to your girlfriend about, but I'm fairly certain that the two of you will be able to find ways to make it work, not to mention it's not like Denver is a super long flight from you." 

"She's hoping to be recalled by the US team and play in some friendlies, though." 

"And you will play the role of the supportive girlfriend and encourage her to continue working towards her dream." 

"I will, I just don't want her to forget about me if she gets all famous, you know?" 

"I'll say again, talk to your girlfriend about what you're thinking and feeling. Now changes topics, are you excited about the book drop?" 

"Excited and terrified at the same time. I just don't want them to flop, I know everyone has invested so much time and energy in me and them and I want to prove to them that it wasn't all for naught." 

"Stop overthinking everything C.J. we all believe in you and the books and regardless of whether they sell one copy or a million copies that will never change." 

"A million copies, huh? That would be awesome!" 

"Yeah, it will be."

They hear a knock on the door and Mal opens it, "I hope I'm not interrupting, I just wanted to let you know that I finished it." 

Mackenzie moves over and pats the space between her and Charlotte indicating for Mal to have a seat. Mal closes the door and sits. Both of the Gordon sisters look at her, "Well? don't keep us waiting any longer, Pugh. What did you think of it?" 

"Kenz!" 

Mal laughs, "It's okay, Babe, and I really, really liked it aside from that girl Jody a few times I wished I could have smacked her across the head, like seriously think before you speak, woman!" 

They all laugh. "Anything else?" 

"Yeah, I really need to know if Dr. Richmond and Sarah end up together, so can I borrow the copy of Into The Unknown, you have on your bookshelf to read, please?" 

"Of course, but you don't need to borrow it, you can keep it if you like; I have a few more around the house." 

"Sweet!" 

"Hey Mal, can we talk about us and the future?" 

"And that's my cue to leave." Mackenzie gets up and leaves the room. 

Mal moves closer to Charlotte, "I don't like it when you get all serious looking like you are right now, it kinda scares me. You aren't breaking up with me are you?" 

"I'm not breaking up with you, Mally; I love you, baby girl. I've just been racking my brain trying to figure out how we are going to maintain our relationship for the next while." 

Mal turns and takes Charlotte's face in her hands and kisses her gently on the lips, before smiling at her, "I will have breaks in my schedule as will you and we technology on our side and can be in daily contact. We will figure it out together." 

"I just, I can't help it, I'm so scared of losing you. I'm sure there are a ton of girls out there who would love to be with you and might even be better for you than me." 

"Stop! I'm not going anywhere and it doesn't matter if there could possibly be someone out there who is better for me than you, because my heart has chosen you and I chose you and nothing is going to change that. Now, you need to get that through that thick brain of yours, because insecurity isn't sexy, babe."

Mal leans in and they exchange a few kisses before hugging each other. 

"Is it okay if I go for a run? I really need to stretch my legs." 

"I wish I could go with you." 

"Soon, you'll be back out their kicking balls and taking names, but until then you can always watch me get my sweat on." 

"Or we could go back to bed and get our sweat on?" 

Mal laughs, "Not happening. I'm going to get changed and I'll be back in a little while." 

"Okay, watch out for cars and dogs. Love you." 

"Love you, too." 

Charlotte lays down on the old couch and soon finds herself drifting off for a bit, she wakes up as her phone starts ringing and checks the name on the screen before answering it. 

"Hey, Ash."

"Hey, how's everything?" 

"Everything?" 

"You and Mal, rehab, you know everything!" 

Charlotte laughs, "I got it. Mal and I are good, she's out for a run right now, so I was just chilling, rehab is rehab and I'm pretty well set for school, just hoping I have a decent roomie. How are things with you?" 

"Pretty quiet, nothing new on the relationship front, been spending a ton of time training and trying to keep myself in tip-top shape for when I finally get to rep my Bruin colours." 

"Way to rub it in!" 

"Couldn't resist! So you'll never guess who I'm going to be rooming with this year." 

"Who?" 

"Jessie Fleming. I've been texting her a bit and she seems cool. Apparently her and Mal know each other as well." 

"Yeah, I seem to recall Mal telling me about playing with her during some UCLA camp thingy and then against her in some other competitions. She is a pretty good player from what I've seen and heard." 

"I'm excited to get to play with her. I gotta head out now but be in touch when you hit Cali and we can hang. Say hi to Mal for me."

"You're on. Later Ash."

Charlotte hears the front door open and voices, so she heads out to check out what's happening and finds Mal helping her Mom bring in some bags. 

"Thank you, Mal." 

"You're welcome, Ms. Gordon, sorry, Carol."

Mal stops and kisses Charlotte on the cheek before heading into the bedroom to get things ready to shower. 

Charlotte heads out and helps her Mom put stuff away. 

"Hey Mom, do you think we could have a family BBQ with the Finnegans before Mal leaves?" 

"I think that would be a wonderful idea, we could celebrate before you and Matthew head off to school. I'll call and make the arrangements as soon as I'm done here." 

"Thanks, Mom."

A few days later Charlotte and her Mom stand in the airport and watch Mal head on her way back to Denver. Charlotte cries into her Mom's shoulder as the other girl passes through security and then disappears into the crowd. 

They drive to Charlotte's appointment in quiet the next day as she doesn't really want to talk about everything that's currently running through her head with her Mom. 

"Any concerns or issues, Charlie?" 

"No, not really other than being sore after being on my feet and walking a bit too much. I iced, elevated, took some Advil and chilled and felt better afterward." 

"Just be mindful that as much as you may think you are back to normal, you aren't yet and could still re-injure yourself if you aren't careful and try to do too much too soon."

"I know and believe me I heard it from my girlfriend and Grandmother afterward." 

He laughs, "We are just going to do some ROM testing today along with some exercises and then you'll be on your way. If all goes according to plan over the next weeks, you will be allowed on the treadmill for a longer period of time and then work towards a light jog." 

"How long until I can start running again?" 

"If you continue to show progress and no after effects, anywhere between 4 - 6 weeks from now." 

" 4 weeks, for real?" 

"Possibly, not guaranteed, it will depend on what the team at Stanford deems appropriate. Now, let's get you out there and check you over." 

Charlotte hugs the trainers before saying goodbye and leaving the clinic for the final time. 

"How'd it go today?" 

"Good, he said I could be back to running possibly in as little as 4 weeks from now. Apparently, I'm a bit ahead of schedule." 

"That's nice to hear, but that doesn't mean you can get crazy now." 

Charlotte laughs, "I'm not the crazy one, that's Kenz." 

Carol laughs, "Maybe, wanna stop for some ice cream?" 

"Yes!" 

A week later after having already said goodbye to everyone, Charlotte finds herself in a plane headed for California. She puts her head back and tries to allow herself to relax for the flight to Philadelphia and then after an hour layover flight on to San Francisco. 

She manages to track down where her suitcases are and collects them once she lands at San Francisco International, with it being very early in the morning and pitch black outside, she isn't looking forward to the prospect of riding in a strangers car to the campus and then having to figure out where her dorm and room are. She has a map and instructions on her phone, but she isn't sure of her sense of direction. 

As she walks to the doors where the stand is, she hears her name being called and turns around to meet a familiar face. 

"Where do think you're going? I volunteered to come and pick you up and here you try and ditch me already." 

Charlotte puts down her bags and puts her arms around her, "It's so good to see you, Alana, are you seriously my ride?" 

"Why else would I be hanging around here at 1 in the fricken morning? Grab your bags and let's go, I'm parked in a no-parking zone and don't need a ticket." 

Charlotte laughs, "Hey, Lan, do you know who my roommate is?" 

"My roomie transferred over the summer and when I found out you were coming here I requested your sorry ass to be my roommate." 

"I always knew you loved me!" 

"N'ah, I love your girlfriend and figured I should keep an eye on you for her." 

"I don't have wandering eyes, Lan. I love, Mal and only Mal." 

"Good to hear. So, we'll get you settled in the room when we get back and then in the morning I'll show you the ropes." 

"Sounds good. Crap, I need to call Mal and let her know I'm here." 

"Aren't you going to get into trouble for disturbing her beauty sleep?" 

"She told me to call." 

"Your funeral put it on speaker so I can say Hi."

Ring, Ring, Ring

They hear a muffled "C.J." 

"Hey, babe, I'm in Cali and you'll never guess who I'm stuck with." 

"Be nice or I'll drop you on the side of the road, Charlie. Hey, Mal, it's Alana." 

"Are you kidding me? Oh my God, that's awesome! I'm so happy right now, I've been really concerned that they would stick you with someone you wouldn't get along with." 

"Me too."

"Okay, times up we're here say goodnight to your girlfriend." 

"Night Mally, love you, sweet dreams." 

Night Babe, love you, too." 

Alana walks up to a door and opens it, "Welcome home." 

Charlotte looks around and takes it in, "It'll work, I don't need much. Just one question - is there coffee for the coffee maker?" 

Alana nods, "You better believe it. I'm going to the washroom and then hitting the sack, I'll see you in the morning." 

Charlotte gathers up her stuff and moves it out of the way, she collects her toiletries bag and the key Alana gave her before heading down the hall to the washroom and completing her nighttime routine. When she gets back to the room she finds that Alana is already sleeping and she does her best to be as quiet as possible as she plugs in her phone and climbs into the bed. 


	24. Chapter 24

It's now been two weeks since Charlotte has arrived at Stanford, the soccer team is already on the field practicing and training even before the first class of the new semester has started. 

Charlotte after having been introduced to everyone takes a seat on the sideline and watches her hopefully future teammates go to work. She is impressed by the high tempo of the session and the level of skill on full display and wishes that she was a part of it.

After watching for a little while she checks the time and heads to the clinic where she was told to meet up with the trainers who will be helping her with her rehab. She checks in at the reception desk and has a seat, looking at the others sitting around her and wondering why they are here. 

The door opens and a young woman steps into the room, "Charlotte?" 

Hearing her name, Charlotte nods, stands up and walks over to her. "Follow me."

They head into a small office, "Have a seat." Charlotte takes a seat across from her.

"First off my name is Patricia, but everyone just calls me Pat and I've been assigned your case. We are going to go through your recovery process so far and discuss what you were doing as far as stretches and exercises prior to coming here, feel free to interrupt me is you have any questions, concerns or just want to comment on something, ok?" 

Charlotte nods, "Oh, please don't call me Charlotte, I go by Charlie." 

Pat smiles and writes that in her notes, "Okay, Charlie, let's get started." 

They spend the next hour discussing everything before Charlie is put through more testing to establish her baselines. 

"I'll be so happy when all of this is over and I can just get back out on the field."

"I've been there, I tore my ACL/MCL during my freshman year at UCLA and tried to expedite my return my overdoing it, ended up having to undergo another surgery to repair the damage I caused. I wasn't able to return to playing, so I turned my focus to studying Sports Medicine and now I'm here. If you want to make a career out of playing, don't be like me, ok, Charlie?" 

Charlotte nods, "So, what's next?" 

"We get a scan of that wonky knee of yours and see how it's coming along and if all is good then we'll get you doing some light jogging during your next session and work up a gentle run. Sound good?" 

Charlotte smiles, "Sounds awesome!" 

Pat laughs, "I figured as much." 

Charlotte finishes off her session and heads back to her and Alana's room to grab some fresh clothes and then hit the shower before making her way to a couple of local bookstores she found to check if The Known is on the shelves yet. 

"Hey, how was rehab?" 

"Really good, I'm going to be allowed to start jogging during the next one." 

"Nice. Can you give your girlfriend a call, she's been trying to reach you and it goes straight to your voicemail." 

Charlotte pulls her phone out, "Crap, I turned it off for the appointment. Thanks Lan. Any interest in going to a bookstore with me in a bit?" 

"Nope, I got enough books, thanks!" 

Charlotte laughs, "Please? I buy you one of those fancy coffees you like if you come with me."

"You just want me to come along to help carry whatever you buy, you forget that I know you and how quickly you devour books." 

Charlotte grins, "Maybe, maybe not. Really, I'm just looking for one book in particular and I would like some company as I haven't really gotten to know anyone else yet." 

"Fine, but call your girlfriend first and shower, because you need it."

Charlotte turns her phone back on and it starts to buzz from all of the messages that have accumulated while off. 

"Someone's pretty popular, today." 

"Go back to sleep, I'll wake you when I'm ready to go." 

After collecting what she needs to shower, Charlotte starts reading the messages and finds that her Mom, Mackenzie, Finn and Mal have all been out searching for her book on the day. She smiles when a picture comes through of Mal holding a copy of the book, showing the receipt for purchasing it. 

New Message

C.J. Just back from rehab, sorry I didn't get your calls and or messages, phone was off. Grabbing a shower and then I'll call. Love you and nice pic. 

Mal: Okay. Love you, too.

Charlotte goes about getting clean and changed before making the promised call to Mal. 

Ring, ring

"Hey." 

"Hey, yourself; it's so good to hear your voice." 

"Mally, it's only been two days since we last spoke." 

"I know, it's just that I miss you." 

"I miss you, too. So it would seem that if I only sell five copies of my book, I know who bought them all. Between you, my Mom, Kenz and Finn and the one I'm going to buy that would make five." 

She hears Mal laugh, "You're actually going to buy your own book?" 

"Yep, and I bribed Lan to come with me, so hopefully I can get her to film me doing it, because if nothing else it will be something cool to look back on."

"You haven't told her, have you?" 

"No, and I don't plan on, unless absolutely necessary." 

"Then how are you going to get her to film it?" 

"I'll just tell her that you recommended a book to me, so I'm following my girlfriend's orders and buying it. How come Alana likes you more than me anyway?" 

Mal laughs, "Lan and I go back a few camps before you arrived on the scene and were roommates at a couple of them. And she likes you, plenty Babe, otherwise, she wouldn't have wanted to room with you."

"Hey Mal, did you happen to notice if anyone else was buying The Known?" 

"I didn't really stick around in the store that long because I had training to get too, but if you like I could go back tomorrow and check." 

"It's okay, it's probably better if I don't know, not to mention Kenz will be getting updated numbers in a few days. I should go and poke the bear now and head to the store, love you, Mally." 

"I love you, to C.J. Message me later." 

"I will, I promise. Bye." 

"Bye." 

Charlotte enters the room and finds that thankfully Alana isn't asleep but instead has her head buried in a message on her phone. 

"You ready to head out, Lan?" 

"Do you think we could swing by the registrars' office while we're out, I have a scheduling issue I need to get sorted before classes start."

Charlotte nods, "Let's go, roomie."

Alana puts her shoes on and collects her stuff and they head together. 

Waiting in the line for their coffee, they chat about the training session from this morning and Alana's feelings on the new blood and then return to the task at hand. 

"Okay, so what's the name of the book that Mal told you to get again?" 

"It's called The Known and is written by J.C. Glass." 

"Why don't we just ask if they have it rather than looking around for it?" 

"Because the hunt is part of the fun." 

They look around and are unable to find it, finally, Charlotte gives up and they flag down a worker. 

"Can I help you find something?" 

"We're looking for a book called The Known." 

He laughs, "You and about 20 others already today. I'll take you to where they were, not sure if there are any copies left, they were selling pretty quickly."

They follow him and he points to an empty spot on the front of an aisle under a "New Releases" sign, "Sorry, it looks like they are all gone. Is there anything else I can help you with today?" 

"Do you know when you might get more copies back in stock?" 

"I'm not sure, but being as though we sold through in what we had in less than 24 hours, I hope they will push more out in next week's shipment. Did you want to reserve a copy?" 

"It's okay, thank you for your help." 

Noticing the look on Charlotte's face, Alana suggests that there is another place that sells books not far so they decide to head there before the registrar's office. 

Looking around the store they don't find a copy there either and find out after asking the cashier that they received and sold through 6 copies already on the day. 

"You know I asked one of the girls who was buying it what the big deal about it was and she told me it was some actress was seen reading it and then recommended it during an interview, so it's been selling out everywhere." 

"Selling out, really?" 

"Apparently, they went to 4 places before coming here and finding it." 

Alana nudges her, "Maybe you should have Mal send you a copy of it because it doesn't sound like we are going to find one today."

"Guess not. Let's get your schedule sorted out and I'll send Mal a message explaining what's going on." 

"And then we can get food." 

"Yes, food is always good!" 

As Alana talks with the woman at the desk and tries to clear up her issue, Charlotte pulls out her phone and sends a message to her, Mackenzie and Finn's group chat.

C.J.: I don't know how you guys got copies, because it's sold out here!! 

Kenz: There should be more in stores by the end of the week, already got an email from the publishers that they under shipped the first batch. 

Finn: Any idea of how many copies were sold so far? 

Kenz: It takes a few days for the initial numbers to come in, but I'll let you know when I get them.

C.J.: Sounds good. Miss you guys, say Hi to Mom for me Kenz and give her a hug. 

Kenz: Will do. Congrats, Sis. 

New Message

C.J.: Book is selling out here. I couldn't get a copy. 

Mal: That's awesome! 

C.J.: Maybe I'll be able to buy you that jewelry after all.

Mal: I don't need anything but you, baby. 

C.J.: I know but it'll make me feel good to be able to do it for you. 

Mal: We'll talk about at a later time, not right now. Go and enjoy your success, well, as much as you can right now. 

C.J.: Maybe I'll grab an extra brownie for dessert. 

Mal: Sounds good, just don't go getting chubby on me, I like those ab lines of yours. 

C.J.: I know you do and my v line as well. 

Mal: Don't start anything you can't finish. 

C.J.: You brought it up not me. Love you, babe, talk to you tomorrow. 

Mal: Tomorrow. Love you. 

Alana makes her way over to Charlotte. "All good?" 

"No, I need to speak with my professor and see if I can switch into another section because the class conflicts with training. I'll need to call and make an appointment with him first before anything can be done." 

"Why can't they just swap you?" 

"It's a number thing, the class is at capacity and he needs to authorize one more." 

"Oh, gotcha. Ready to eat?" 

"Yes, I'm starving." 

"Me too." 

A few days later and Charlotte is back at the clinic going over things with Pat before being allowed to get on the treadmill. 

"You ready, Charlie?" 

Charlotte's face lights up, "So ready! Let's fucking go already! Oh, sorry!" 

Pat laughs, and shakes her head, "Don't worry, I've heard worse. Now, we are going to start you out slowly walking, then gradually increasing to a slow jog." 

"Running?" 

Pat shakes her head, "Not yet, let's see how you handle jogging first, okay?" 

Charlotte nods and the machine starts moving for her as she walks and walks and walks. 

"How are you feeling?" 

"Like I've walked forever and gone nowhere." 

"I'm going to up the speed now, so light jogging okay?" 

"Yep. Can you do me a favour and record it, so I can send it to my girlfriend?" 

"Sure. Where's your phone?" 

"Front pocket of my bag." 

Pat starts filming as the speed is upped and Charlotte is finally allowed to jog in place. 

After what seems like not nearly long enough, Charlotte is done jogging and they are going through some stretches and exercises together before she finishes up for the day. 

"Good work today, Charlie." 

"Thanks, I'll see you on Friday." 

"I'll be here." 

Charlotte stops on the way back to her room to grab something to eat and then after showering and getting changed into some comfies, gets herself set up for her orientation the next day. 

The door opens and Charlotte finds not only Alana walking in but a few of the other girls from the team as well. 

Charlotte hops up off her bed and walks over to the group. 

"What's up?" 

Jane Campbell one of the goalkeepers looks at her and Charlotte's first instinct is to run before she feels arms wrapping around her, "The more you squirm, the worse it will be freshie." 

Charlotte finds herself surrounded by smiling faces, "Don't worry, it won't hurt, much." 

"Lan, Lana help!" 

"Nope! You're on your own now kid." Alana leaves the room and Charlotte feels helpless. 

Suddenly they all bust out laughing at her, "Relax, Gordon we just come to get to know you better and decided to have a little fun at your expense. Now, grab a seat and let's chat." 

"So, you're not here to do anything to me?" 

They shake their heads, "No, not yet anyway, we know you are in recovery mode and wouldn't do anything that could jeopardize that for you. But, expect the full initiation once you are cleared to play." 

Andi Sullivan, Tierna Davidson, Jane Campbell and Jordan DiBiasi all sit down and they start talking. 

"Really sucks what happened to you at the U20s." 

"Yeah, but I'll be back soon and stronger and hungrier than ever." 

They laugh at her. 

"So, how long have you and Pugh been together?" 

"How?" 

"It's not exactly a secret now is, it?" 

"No, yes, Mal and I are together and we have been for a while." 

"What do you think about the possibility of her playing in Washington for the Spirit?" 

"Wait, what?" 

"You don't know? There's been mention that the NWSL may allow her to sign and play there." 

"I, um... I need to call Mal, now. You guys need to leave, please." 

"Way to go, Sully, now you upset her!" 

"I didn't mean to, I would have thought that Mal would have shared that news with her already." 

The four Stanford players leave the room and Charlotte sits on her bed pondering what she just found out and how she found it out. 


	25. Chapter 25

Mal is sitting and talking with her parents when her phone begins ringing. Looking at the screen her face lights up when she sees the name C.J. flash across it.

Taking the phone, she answers as she makes her way to her room and sits down on the bed. 

"Hey, I didn't expect to hear from you again today, everything ok?" 

Mal can tell that Charlotte is crying and can hear her sniffling away her runny nose as a result. 

"Why are you crying? What's wrong? Please talk to me?"

"Why? Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Tell you what?" 

"About Washington." 

"Ohh. I never told you because there wasn't anything I could really say about it. You knew the league wouldn't let me go to Portland, there have been ongoing discussions between my agent and the league ever since about the possibility of me going to Washington and playing for the Spirit instead; just discussions, nothing for certain. I'm sorry if it slipped my mind to tell you, you know I would never hide anything like that from you, but like I said there is nothing in place, so it may not happen. Baby, you're awfully quiet what are thinking?"

"That Washington is a lot further away from me than Denver is."

Mal chuckles, "It is, but it's a lot closer to Massena and that's where you will be for most of the season unless you're living with me that is."

"Are you asking me to move in with you, Mally?"

Mal laughs, "I am, what do you think about the idea?"

"I think that should you sign with Washington I would like to move in with you."

"Good, now that that's all settled, my Dad has been asking when they are going to get to meet you."

"How about in a couple of weeks, after I get a feel for my classes. I have Fridays off, so maybe I can catch a flight either Thursday evening after rehab or Friday morning and stay until Sunday."

"That sounds good, I can't wait; I miss the feel of being wrapped and held in your arms and the smell of your shampoo and body wash."

"You're weird, Mally."

"I'm your weird though. I really am sorry that I didn't tell you about the possibility of going to Washington, Babe."

"It's okay, just next time I would really prefer not to hear that type of news from anyone other than you."

Mal laughs, "Sorry, babe, I was just thinking that here we are keeping a rather huge secret from everyone and not being fazed by it, yet, something like a rumour caused an issue between us."

"I think that just shows what a breakdown in communication can do to a couple. Open ears, open mouths, open hearts."

"Deal, for the record I wish your mouth was here right now."

"I would switch to Facetime but Lan is back now and I should probably hit the sack, I'm feeling drained."

"Okay, sounds good, love you, sweet dreams."

"Love you, Captain Mally."

Charlotte puts her phone down and notices Alana's eyes on her.

"Everything's okay, Lan, I hadn't heard about the possibility that Mal might end up in Washington, so it caught me by surprise when Andi mentioned it. We've talked it through now and we're all good."

"Okay. You probably want to send Andi and Jane a message they were concerned about you."

"I will. Lan would it be okay if we invited the girls back for pizza and got to know each other better, I feel really bad about what happened."

Alana smiles and nods, "Remember that regardless of whether you are playing or not, you are still apart of our team and family, and family supports family. Now, send the message and hit the sack because the bags under your eyes are looking like something from a horror movie."

Charlotte laughs, "I can't even.. Night, Lan."

"Night, Charlie."

"Ring, ring" 

"Answer your damn phone, Gordon." 

Charlotte fights through the darkness of the room to locate her phone

"Hello?" 

"C.J."

"Kenz why are you calling me so early? Can it wait until later?" 

"No! Are you alone?" 

"I'm in bed sleeping or I was sleeping, what do you want?" 

"Is your roommate there?"

"Yes." 

"Go out in the hall and call me back in 5, you are going to want to hear this news." 

"Fine, bye." 

Charlotte moans as she flicks her lamp on and locates some slides to put on, grabbing her key before leaving the room the room in darkness. 

"Ring, ring." 

"Check your email, I copied and sent you the numbers for the first two weeks of the release." 

"Uh-huh." 

Charlotte sits down against the wall and opens her email, scanning the numbers and even being half asleep she understands the bottom line. "Holy shit!" 

She hears Mackenzie laughing, "Yeah, pretty insane, right?" 

"Are these numbers, right?" 

"Yes, every sale is tracked at the point of sale by the ISBN. Congratulations, you just sold almost 10,000 books in your first two weeks on the shelf."

"Does Mom know?" 

"I showed her a little while ago and she was in tears. Just so you know based on the updated numbers the publishing company has upped the original print run for all of the books from 25,000 copies to 50,000 of each."

Charlotte sits in the hallway tears streaming down her face, caught somewhere between absolute shock and ecstasy and needing to process the information. 

"Kenz, can I call you later, I need to wrap my head around everything." 

"No worries, love you, Sis." 

"Love you, too. Bye." 

New Message

C.J.: I hope this doesn't wake you, but I just wanted to let you know that Kenz just called me and the numbers are just under 10,000 in 2 weeks. Love you and I'm counting down the days until I get to see your beautiful face and smile once more. 

Knowing she won't be able to fall back asleep, Charlotte heads back into the room and as quietly as possible collects what she needs to grab a shower and get changed before heading to grab an early breakfast. 

After eating and processing everything, Charlotte heads back to the dorm to collect what she needs for her classes and as she sits in an empty class, she puts in some earbuds and tries to focus on reviewing and absorbing the information from the previous class in order to be prepared for today's lessons. 

As the classroom starts to fill up, she takes her earbuds out and turns her phone to silent before sliding it inside her bag so it won't be a distraction to herself or others around her. 

Once the professor calls for a break in the class, she takes out her phone and sees a message from Mal containing a ton of hearts, kissing emojis and the words, "I'm proud of you, baby. I'll show you on Friday when you get here just how proud, I am. " Charlotte smiles and takes a deep breath, before sending a response, "Can't wait." 

For the next few days, Charlotte turns her attention to her studies and rehabilitation and tries to drown out the thoughts circling around her head of the latest numbers. 

Friday finally comes and she packs her bag with a couple of days worth of clothes, and some personal items, knowing that if she needs anything she can always borrow it from her girlfriend. 

She bribes Alana to drive her to the airport and after being dropped off and checking in she sits and waits for her flight to be called.

As the page comes over the intercom, she makes her way to the designated gate and then boards the plane. She puts her bag up top and then gets comfy for the two and a half long flight. 

Once they start to descend into Denver, Charlotte is overcome by nervous energy and awakens the gentleman beside her with her leg bouncing. She apologizes and explains that she is about to meet her girlfriend's parents for the first time and is quite nervous about it. 

He smiles, "Just be yourself and you'll be fine." 

She smiles, "Thanks." 

Charlotte walks into the airport and looks around for Mal and not seeing her immediately starts to get more nervous. She finally sees her girlfriend walking towards her with cups in her hands. 

"I misjudged the coffee line, I hope you weren't waiting long." 

"I would wait forever for you, my love."

Mal sets the coffees down and they share a long hug and a gentle kiss, "It's so good to see you." 

"You saw me the other night." Mal laughs, "Facetime isn't the same as seeing you in person. Now, the sooner we get out of here the sooner we get reacquainted."

"Why, Mallory are you insinuating that you only want me for sex?" 

Mal laughs, "Among other things, now, let's go, slowpoke." 

"Lead the way, baby." 

Arriving back at the Pugh household, Charlotte is reluctant to enter and Mal reaches to take her hand, "Babe, it's just you and me for a few hours." 

Mal leads her into her room and Charlotte drops her bag, before taking a look around and smiling at the pictures on the wall. She walks over to the nightstand and sees a picture of her and Mal together that was taken during the U20 camp leaning against the lamp. 

She picks it up and smiles and Mal wraps her arms around her, "It's my favourite picture of us, I look at it every night before bed and every morning when I get up." 

Charlotte returns the photo to its spot before turning around and pulling Mal in for a long gentle kiss that soon escalates into a deeper, needy one.

They lay down on the bed and continue to kiss and let their hands wander and soon clothing starts to hit the floor. Mal lays back and moans as Charlotte kisses her shoulder and collar bone as she gently squeezes her breasts before moving down to kiss around them and licking, sucking and nibbling on the nipples.

Charlotte's hand slides down and she undoes the button and then unzips the zipper on Mal's jeans, helping her to slide out of them and leaving her wearing just her underwear. Charlotte places her hand over the top of the patch of cloth and strokes it, making Mal bite her lower lip as she slides underneath and into the wetness there.

Charlotte returns to slowly kissing and suckling Mal's breasts and she gently teases and rubs her core before allowing her fingers to slide inside her. Not wanting to rush the experience, Charlotte continues much to Mal's dismay to work slowly, taunting and teasing and building her up as a familiar feeling start to take over.

Mal reaches for Charlotte and pulls her in to kiss her as she needs to be joined with her as her body reaches its peak. She feels Charlotte laugh as she rubs circles around her clit and feels the pulsing and squeezing of her girlfriend's climax around her hand and fingers.

Leaving them there until Mal relaxes, she withdraws her fingers and looking around wipes them on her shirt that only made it as far as the edge of the bed. She throws it on the floor before laying down beside Mal and smiling widely at the content look on her face. She leans over and kisses her forehead.

"Hope you don't mind, but I didn't think it appropriate to be smelling like sex when I meet your parents."

Mal chuckles, "Good call, I'm sure that wouldn't have gone over well with my Dad. How about we get cleaned up and then curl up until they get home, we can pick up where we left off later."

"Sounds good. I've missed our naps."

They wash up and get redressed in clean clothes, before curling up under the covers, it doesn't take long for either of them to fall asleep wrapped in each other.

"Horace, let them sleep, you'll get your chance to meet her when they wake up. Now, come out in the kitchen and help me put away the groceries."

Horace leaves the doorway to Mal's room and follows his wife out to the kitchen.

"I know you aren't asleep, baby, are you ready to meet the folks?"

"Do you think I could just stay in your room the entire time I'm here and sneak out on Sunday for my flight back?"

Mal laughs, "Not going to happen, now, come on."

They climb out of the bed and after Charlotte takes a minute to make herself more presentable, Mal kisses her on the lips and then takes her hand leading her out to meet Horace and Karen Pugh.

“Mom, Dad this is my girlfriend, Charlotte.”

Charlotte reaches out her hand to shake theirs and Horace accepts it, “Nice to finally meet you.”

“Thank you, Sir, it’s nice to finally meet you as well.”

“It’s okay if you want to call me Horace.”

“Yes Sir, I mean, yes, Horace.”

Charlotte turns to face Karen and is engulfed in a hug, “It’s nice to meet you, Charlie is it okay if we call you that, Mallory said it would be.”

“It’s fine, actually I much prefer it to being called Charlotte.”

“Alright then welcome to our home, Charlie.” 

"Thank you for having me." 

Horace pats the chair beside him, "Grab a seat, and let's get better acquainted, Charlie." 

"Dad!" 

"Don't worry your Mom already told me to be nice." 

Charlotte looks at Mal, before taking a seat. 

"So, tell us about yourself." 

"Umm, okay. My full name is Charlotte Jennifer Gordon, I'm from Massena, New York, I have an older sister named Mackenzie or Kenz for short, my Dad passed away just before my 16th birthday from a heart attack and my Mom works for the city. I like reading, writing, drawing, listening to music, watching movies and love playing soccer. My goal is either to become a professional soccer player or continue pursuing an education towards becoming an Aerospace Engineer and possibly one day working for NASA. And also, I love your daughter very much and I promise to do everything I can to ensure that she is safe, happy, and healthy for as long as we are on this Earth together. Anything else you want to know?" 

Karen and Horace look at each other and smile as Mal nods along with everything.

"Mallory told us that you had your pick of schools to choose from, why did you end up choosing to go to Stanford?" 

"I did, I strongly considered following in my Dad's footsteps and going to MIT but it ultimately came down to choosing the school that I felt would provide me with the best academic and athletic experience."

"Does it concern you that Mallory isn't attending school at this time?" 

"No. Your window for being a professional athlete is generally pretty small and Mal is heading into her prime and should take full advantage of any opportunities afforded to her currently and the future. I completely support her decisions and will continue to support them should she choose to play soccer or go to school, I will be there for her either way."

"Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now, Charlie?" 

"That's hard to say, I may still be in school pursuing a Master's degree or possibly if given the opportunity, playing soccer professionally, either way, I would like to think that Mal and I would be married by then and possibly even discussing having a family."

Mal looks at her questioningly. 

"What's with the look, babe?" 

"We never really discussed a time frame for anything, just the possibility of getting married and having kids." 

Charlotte stands up and walks over to Mal, taking her face in her hand and looking her straight in the eyes and kissing her on the forehead before asking, "Do you have an issue with that timeline? I just figured we would work things out according to the World Cup and Olympic cycle and adjust if need be." 

Mal smiles, "No, I love you and would marry you tomorrow if given the chance." 

"Love you, too, beautiful." Oblivious to their audience the two wrap their arms around each other and share a kiss before a cough brings them back to reality and they jump apart.

"You know when Brianna brought home Jace the first time I had serious reservations about him and how he was going to treat her; he has proven to be a good man, husband and father. Any reservations I may have had about you and your relationship with Mal just went out the window, you can't fake the way the two of you look at or touch each other. Continue to make my daughter feel as loved and as happy as she is right now and we won't have any problems, don't and you better watch your back, because I don't play around." 

"Yes Sir understood, Sir, I mean Horace and thank you."

"Good, now how about the two of you help your Mom make supper and set the table." 

Horace leaves Karen, Mal and Charlotte alone. 

"Mal, you maybe want to check she's breathing." 

Mal laughs, before nudging her, "You okay?" 

Charlotte looks at her, "Was that the chat?" 

Mal smiles and nods, "In case you didn't know, you passed the Horace Pugh test." 

"I thought you said he was a teddy bear, that felt more like a grizzly attack." 

Mal and Karen both bust out laughing in response to Charlotte's comment. 


	26. Chapter 26

Mal places her hand over Charlotte's mouth, "Shh, baby, you need to be quiet." 

Charlotte lets out a low moan and removes Mal's hand, "I can't be quiet when you're doing that to me, Oh my God, keep doing that!" Mal lets out a laugh before resuming what she was doing. 

Charlotte grabs a pillow and covers her face in an attempt to muffle her moaning out as Mal continues to work her magic below. 

As she reaches her climax, Charlotte struggles with staying quiet and holds the pillow in a death grip until the feelings start to pass. She lays back and tries to get her breathing back under control and the pillow is lifted off her face and Mal's mouth and lips join hers in a hungry kiss. 

Charlotte flips her on her back, and looks her in the eyes, "Think you can be quiet?" 

Mal laughs and shakes her head. "You better try, because I really don't want Papa bear coming in here and finding me having my way with you." 

"Yeah, he would probably kill you." 

Charlotte sits up and looks at her, "Baby, relax, my parents are pretty sound sleepers and the door is locked." 

"Oh, in that case..." 

Afterwards, they lay on the bed together just enjoying being together. 

Knock, Knock

"Mal, Charlie, are you planning on joining us for breakfast?" 

Mal and Charlotte laugh. "We'll be there in a few minutes, Mom." 

"Okay." 

"Guess, we should get dressed, now." Charlotte turns to get up and Mal pulls her back, leaning over and kissing her. "I really wish you could stay longer." 

"Me too, but one us has school tomorrow." 

"You're a genius it wouldn't hurt you to miss a day of class." 

"Mal, as much as I'd like to stay here with you, I can't. I have class and rehab and team meetings to attend, even if I'm not playing."

"I know, it's just I don't know when we are going to see each other again." 

"I'm sure if you talk to Alana, she won't have a problem with you coming and staying in our room for a couple of days. You could meet the rest of the team, although I understand you already know a few of them from the US ranks." 

"I do. That sounds like an idea, how about we figure out when the team is at home and I can come and watch a game."

"Deal, now we had better get out there before your parents come looking." 

Mal laughs, "Let's go scaredy-cat." 

They get dressed and make themselves presentable before joining Mal's parents for breakfast and then helping to clean up and load the dishwasher afterwards. 

"I really hope that you'll come back to visit soon, Charlie; it's been nice getting to know you." 

"I've enjoyed my time here, it's been nice getting to see where Mal grew up, learned how to play, went to school and meeting some of her friends and of course family members. Mal and I have already been discussing plans for her to come and visit me in the not too distant future."

Charlotte smiles when Mal wraps her arms around her and puts her head on her shoulder. She kisses the top of her head and holds her tight. 

Karen Pugh smiles at them, "How about I take your father out for a little while, so the two of you can have some alone time before you need to head to the airport." 

"Thanks, Mom."

Soon after, Karen and Horace leave the house. 

"So, what should we do with our alone time?" 

"I have a bit of work I need to get done for tomorrow, do you mind if I get it done now rather than on the plane?" 

"That's fine, I like watching you work and you look sexy in your glasses. It'll give me time to finish reading Into The Unknown before you leave, so we can discuss it." 

"That reminds me I brought you a copy of Know-How, it's in the bottom of my bag." 

They head into Mal's room and each gets themself situated, Charlotte spreads her stuff out on the floor so, she can read and type up some points of question and or discussion for the class while Mal lays back on the bed and allows herself to jump into the pages of her book. 

They spend the next few hours in the same positions and when Karen and Horace return they stand at the bedroom door and watch. 

Walking back out to the living room they take a seat on the couch together. 

"Are you still having reservations about Charlie?" Karen turns to face her husband. 

"I'll be honest, I figured that when we got back they would be in bed together with the door closed and locked, I didn't expect to find one sitting on the floor hard at work on school stuff while the other is laying on the bed with her head buried in a book. It's nice to see that and definitely a welcome change from when that boy Dansby was in the picture. That's one thing I've noticed since Charlie has been in the picture is that Mal is reading more and talking about what she's read or seen online, she's become a lot my engaged and interested in things other than soccer." 

"You do realize that's the Charlie effect, right? Mal told me that she is constantly reading and can carry on a conversation about a variety of topics, she isn't a one-trick pony Horace, she's got the brains and brawn to go far and our daughter is 100% in love with her, so you better get used to having her around, because I have a feeling that she is going to be in the picture for a long time." 

"I have to admit she did impress me with her knowledge of world events and the political climate. All Dansby could talk about was his batting average and fielding percentage and his goal of making it to the majors one day, he never once mentioned a future with Mal." 

"And the difference being is that Charlie has already formulated a plan for the future and taken into account some possible variables, all of which have been calculated with the ideology behind them that she and Mal will be together and adapt accordingly."

"I get it, perhaps I should have a little bit of one on one time with her before she leaves and apologize for my behaviour towards her, it's just Mal is our baby and no one will ever be good enough for her in my eyes." 

Karen hugs her husband. "How about you ask Charlie if she would like to accompany you on a short walk, I'm certain that she could use a bit of fresh air and exercise right now as could you." 

Horace stands up and walks towards Mal's room, knocking on the door frame.

"Hey, Dad, what's up?" 

"That must be a really good book to keep you interested in it for this long." 

"It is a really good book, not your kinda story, but maybe Mom would like to read it when I'm done." 

"I was wondering if Charlie might like to join me in taking a short walk." 

Charlotte looks up, "Just me?" 

Horace nods, "I've been told that I've been standoffish towards you this weekend and haven't exactly made you feel the most comfortable being here or around me and I thought that we could walk and talk and I could apologize for my behaviour." 

Charlotte looks over at Mal, who is smiling and nodding. "I would like to go for a walk with you Sir, but could I have five minutes first to finish up my assignment?" 

"Of course, I'll meet you in the living room." 

Charlotte finishes up what she was working on and packs up her stuff, before taking a seat beside Mal on the bed and leaning over to kiss her, "If I don't come back, you can have my share of the book earnings." 

Mal laughs, "You'll be fine. Love you." 

"Love you too, Mally." 

After putting on some running shoes, and collecting her phone Charlotte heads out to meet Horace and head out for a walk with him. 

Mal comes out of her bedroom to watch them leave and then walks over to hug her Mom, "Thank you for that." 

"Mal, you know you're his baby girl and he is always going to be overprotective of you and that no one you bring home will ever be good enough for you in his eyes." 

Mal nods, "I know, but Dad needs to understand that I'm in love with Charlie and if he gives her a chance she will show him all the qualities that made me fall in love with her." 

"Hey Mom, Dad and I were kinda talking about the book I'm currently reading; I was thinking that perhaps you might like to read the series as well. They are written for a different audience than what you would be used to reading but I think you would like them, because I do." 

"Tell me about them." 

"Well, the overarching premise of the series is a world where everyone is implanted with microchips at a very young age which essentially takes away our ability to think or make choices for ourselves including our careers, and who will fall in love with and or marry. Basically everything about your life is known, hence the first book is called The Known. 

The second book in the series is the one I'm reading currently it's called Into The Unknown and follows up with what happens once the chips are removed and how people start to learn how to make choices and or decisions for themselves without the aid of a computer telling them what to do or how to do it. The storylines are intermingled with developing relationships from scratch, dealing with heartbreak, sexual identity and learning who you really are. 

I don't really know much about the third book as I haven't read it yet, but it's called Know-How and it relates to mankind and how we learn to adjust and adapt in the future." 

"Let me guess, Charlie turned you on to them?" 

"She did and I think you should read them and Bri as well." 

"Alright, once I'm done the book I'm currently reading I'll take a look." 

"Do you think C.J. is okay with Dad?" 

The door opens with both Horace and Charlotte laughing up a storm about something. 

"I think she is fine." 

"Looks like it." 

Mal watches on as Charlotte hugs her father and he wraps his arms around her as well. 

"Close your mouth Babe, or you're gonna catch flies."

Mal closes her open mouth and Charlie laughs at her reaction. 

"Did you have a good walk?" 

Charlotte smiles, "Yep, it was awesome, right big H?" 

"Yep." 

Mal and her Mom look at each other. "What did you do to my Dad?" 

"Nothing just talked to him, he's pretty funny." 

"Supper will be ready in about half an hour, how about you get packed up and ready for the airport, Charlie." 

"Sounds good, Karen." 

Charlotte takes Mal's hand and leads her into the bedroom shutting the door behind them, before pushing Mal up against it and joining their mouths in a hard and hungry kiss. 

Charlotte separates from her and smiles. 

"You can't just kiss me like that and then leave me." 

Charlotte laughs, "I'm not leaving you, Babe, I was moving towards the bed; the way I figure it, we have time for a quickie before supper and I already finished packing earlier." 

"Ohh." 

The pair make quick work of shedding unnecessary clothing and helping each other orgasm before making themselves presentable for supper. 

Karen looks at the two of them and flashes a knowing smile at them as they sit and eat their meal together. 

When the alarm on Charlotte's phone chimes, she really doesn't want to move as she and Mal are comfortable on the couch. 

Mal slowly stands up and then reaches for her, "Let's go." 

Charlotte stands up and hugs Mal's parents before they collect her belonging and head out to the car to make the drive to the airport.

"This sucks." 

"Yep, but we'll see each other soon." 

"I love you so much, it hurts to be apart from you." 

"I know, it's the same for me, Mal. But, we can get through it together." 

"Together." 

After checking in for her flight, Charlotte and Mal say their final goodbyes and share hugs and kisses that will have to hold them over for a few weeks or until the next time they see each in person. 

Not wanting to watch Charlotte walk away, Mal heads out of the airport with tears streaming down her face and Charlotte can only stand and watch her walk away as she heads for the gate.

Arriving back in California, Charlotte looks around for Alana but doesn't see her, she tries calling her and it goes to voicemail. As she debates grabbing a cab, she sees a group approaching her wearing the telltale Stanford Cardinals colours. 

"Lan, had a date so we volunteered to come and get you." 

"Someone actually willingly went out with her? Wow, will wonders never cease." 

Jane grabs her bag, "Let's get out of here." 

Charlotte nods and they start walking out, "So, how was your weekend at the Pughs?" See looks at Andi who asked the question. "It started off kinda rough, but ended on a good note." 

"You get the chat?" 

Charlotte nods to the question, "I really hope that I never have to go through that again, it was terrifying!" 

They all laugh at her, "Get in the car, freshie, some of us have to be up early." 


	27. Chapter 27

Jump ahead a few months and it's now December, Charlotte has been working hard in and out of the classroom and is getting closer to being allowed to start more intensive training, something that she hopes will come about on her return to campus after the holiday break. 

Unfortunately for her Stanford teammates, despite having a good regular season, they found themselves being knocked out of the postseason in the second round. 

After having just completed her last exam for the semester, Charlotte makes her way back to her dorm room and is met by a surprise visitor. 

"Suprise!" Charlotte lights up when Mal jumps into her arms, she holds on to her tightly before setting her back down and sharing a kiss. "What are you doing here?" 

"I didn't want to wait until New Year to see you and give you your present and Lan told me that you would be here all alone for a few days and I couldn't have that." 

"How did you get in here? I'm pretty sure I locked up before I left." 

"Jane picked the lock for me." 

"What? Seriously?" 

Mal laughs at her, "Now, you gullible goofball, Alana gave her an extra key in case either of you lost yours and she let me in with it." 

Charlotte laughs, "Ohh. So, you, me and a room all to ourselves for 2 days until my last session before the break, whatever shall we do?" 

"I have a few ideas, the first one, however, involves us leaving the room and getting food because I'm starving!" 

Charlotte smiles at Mal, before taking her once again in her arms, "I'm so glad you're here, Mally. It seems like forever since we spent Thanksgiving together. I love you, so much that I feel lost when I'm not with you." 

"I know the feeling, I love you, too, baby." 

They share another few kisses and hugs before setting off to get some food. 

Walking around the campus holding Mal's hand in hers, Charlotte can't stop smiling. 

"Whatcha thinking about, Babe?" 

"Just how lucky I am to have you in my life; you always seem to know when I need to hear your voice or need one of your amazing hugs. You're a beautiful person inside and out and I'm so thankful that you are my person." 

"You're very sappy right now and I love it and you, but usually you being like this means it's that time of the month; but that would mean it's early, right?" 

"I don't have my period, yet, but based on the way I'm feeling I'm thinking we are going to be doing more cuddling than anything over the next few days." 

"I'm okay with cuddling as long as I'm with you." 

"I really hope that Lan left the air pump somewhere we can find it, so we can set up the air mattress when we get back." 

"Yes, please, I really don't want to get thrown out of the bed onto the floor in the middle of the night again." 

"How long are you going to hold that over my head?" 

"As long as we're together." 

"So, forever?" 

"Forever." 

Later on as Mal returns from a trip to the washroom to get ready for bed, she walks in the room and finds Charlotte with her computer out and staring at the screen. 

"I thought all your assignments were done?" 

"They are, I was just checking my emails and the latest sales numbers." 

"How are they looking?" 

"The original plan was to wait until after Christmas to ship out Know-How to stores, but because the demand is so high, it's going to land on Monday now." 

"Wow! That's awesome, Babe, so what's next for J.C. Glass?" 

"I don't know, the numbers are only based on sales within the United States and Canada. It's possible that if they keep selling at a high rate that the publishing company will tap into the worldwide market and there was an option in the contract for them to be translated into a few different languages, so who knows what will come of that, all I know is that Kenz is getting a new car for Christmas." 

"Can you afford that?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, before closing her laptop and setting it on her desk along with her glasses. 

"Mal, I have something for you; I was going to wait until New Years to give it to you, but I can't wait anymore. Grab a seat while I get it." 

Mal sits on Charlie's bed as her girlfriend digs in her suitcase and pulls out a bag, setting it on her desk before pulling out a red box that makes Mal's jaw drop. 

"Is that what I think it is?" 

Charlotte laughs, "What do you think it is?" 

"That's a Cartier box." 

"It is, would you like to see what's inside or are you content just to drool all over the box and me?" 

Mal subconsciously wipes at her mouth, causing Charlotte to laugh at her. "Stop teasing." 

"Mal, I know we haven't been together for very long, but I want you to know that I love you and see my future with you. I debated about what to get you and even consulted with Brianna, who was very helpful by the way, before I ultimately chose this. I hope you like it." 

Charlotte opens the box revealing a Gold Cartier Love bracelet. "Oh my God, are being serious right now C.J.?" 

"Completely, now, relax while I put it on you." 

"There all done, a gorgeous piece of jewelry for my gorgeous girlfriend. I told you that I fully intended to buy you jewelry once I could afford it, well here you go, beautiful." 

"I, umm, wow..., I love you and it, Oh my God, I'm struggling for words." 

"How about you just kiss me then?" 

Mal smiles before leaning into a long, passionate kiss with her and then hugging her. "Okay, so my present for you can't come to this, but I hope you like it." 

"If it's from you then I will love it." 

Mal reaches in her bag and pulls out a square present, which Charlotte thinks is a CD of some sort. She opens it and is shocked to find that it's a personally autographed copy of Justin Bieber's Purpose album. 

"Are you serious? How the heck did you get this?" 

"I worked my connections, I know how much you love the Biebs!" 

Charlotte laughs, "You know what this calls for right?" 

"Dance party?" 

"Oh yeah!" 

Charlotte hugs and kisses her, "Thank you, I love it!" 

"I wanted to get us concert tickets as well, but he's in Europe now." 

"We'll just have to catch him in concert some other time, I can't believe you got me this, it's so cool, although, Lan is going to hate it!" 

Mal laughs, "She's totally going to hate it, I can't wait!" 

Charlotte puts the disc in her stereo and turns up the volume. 

"Show me your moves, Pugh." 

"You first, Gordon." 

After dancing around for a little while, they tone it down and just hold each other. 

"Have you heard from Sanchez, lately?" 

"Yep, talked to Ash a few days ago, you?" 

"No, not since she messaged me while you guys were hanging out." 

"Oh, yeah, she was pretty busy with assignments and stuff. I'm sure she'll respond if you message her. You ready to call it a night?" 

"Not yet, can we watch something on Netflix?" 

"Let me guess, The Office?" 

"Please." Mal smiles wide at her as she says it. 

They get as comfy as they possibly can on the air mattress and watch a few episodes before Charlotte hearing Mal snoring softly, closes her laptop and after wrapping her arm around Mal, falls asleep. 

The next morning Charlotte feels Mal moving around and pulls her back into her, "Babe, I have to go pee, let go." 

"Uh-huh." 

Charlotte lets go and hears Mal move around the room before heading out the door, she returns a few minutes later smelling minty fresh and kisses Charlotte on the cheek. 

"Morning." 

"Sleep in day Mal, it's too early." 

"It's almost 9 and I'm hungry."

"It's a good thing you're cute, Mally." 

Charlotte reluctantly gets up and collects what she needs before heading to the washroom. Returning she digs out clothes and gets changed. 

"Let's go." 

They head to get some breakfast and more importantly a caffeine injection. 

"So, what's on tap for today?" 

"I honestly had planned on just chilling and enjoying the fact that I managed to complete my first semester without going crazy." 

"I'm proud of you, C.J. I know the last few months haven't always been the easiest for you to get through, but you've made it and soon you'll be back on the field with me and I can't wait." 

"Any movement on the Washington front?" 

"Not so far, but I'm doing my best to stay positive and keep my training up." 

"If it's meant to be, it will be. If not then you still have UCLA as an option; even though I really don't think I can handle seeing you in Bruin colours." 

Mal laughs, "UCLA isn't likely to happen now, I could only defer my acceptance and entrance for so long." 

"How about coming to Stanford, then?" 

Mal shakes her head, "Nope, you are the only Cardinal in our family." 

"Are you done your Christmas shopping? Cause if not we could hit some stores. I haven't picked up anything for Finn yet." 

"That sounds like something I can get behind! Bring me shopping, baby!" 

"Oh, boy." 

Later on that afternoon, they return to the dorm with their arms full of bags and purchases. 

"I can't believe we bought that much stuff. I'm going to need to buy another suitcase to bring it all home with me." 

"And here you were saying earlier that I was the shopper in the relationship." Mal smiles at her. 

"Point taken, but it's just nice to actually have money to be able to buy stuff for the people I care about, you know?" 

"I get it, but you can't be going on crazy shopping sprees all the time C.J., people will start to talk and ask questions that I know you can't answer. Perhaps you need to get set up with someone to help with your finances, I could ask my Dad if he knows anyone." 

"No! That's out of the question, I'll ask Mr. Finnegan when I get home for some recommendations." 

"Good. Now, you promised me some naked cuddling." 

"Did I now?" Charlotte raises her eyebrow and smiles at Mal. 

"No, but it's what I want to do right now." 

"Okay, I'm down with cuddling for a bit before we eat supper. More episodes of the Office coming up." 

"You know me so well." 

"The show has actually started to grow on me." 

They strip down and attempt to cuddle but the feeling of each other's naked bodies pressed against each other leads to them wanting and needing more and soon what's playing on the screen has been forgotten as they take their time appreciating every inch of each other's body. 

They kiss and hold each other, smiling all the while. "I can't wait until we can make this a permanent arrangement." 

"Us cuddling on an air mattress after making love?" 

"No, you dumbass." Mal laughs, "I meant the two of us living together." 

"I knew what you meant, I just wanted to hear you say it. Realistically it's going to be at least a few years before we can make that happen, though. I'm going to be here and you're going to be, well, wherever you'll be, but will figure it out as it comes." 

"Yeah, we will." 

"I have a question for you, Mally. If you do end up moving to Washington, how are you going to eat, because you can barely make a grilled cheese without setting the kitchen on fire." 

"Oww!" Mal smacks her. "That was one time! and I was distracted by you undressing in front of me, so technically it's your fault they got burned to a crisp." 

"Still doesn't change the fact that you can't cook." 

"Then I guess I better hope I end up with a roommate who can." 

"On the food topic, I guess it's time we eat." Charlotte gets up and walks over to the mini-fridge pulling out the salads they picked up while out and then grabs them a couple of drinks. 

"Are you nervous about your appointment tomorrow?" 

"Not at all, I'm excited actually; I'm really hoping that I'll get the go-ahead to be allowed to start some actual footwork drills. It's all good being able to run under supervised conditions, but I need more; it was horrible watching the girls from the sidelines all season, I felt so helpless." 

"Well, hopefully, tomorrow will be the first step towards getting you back on the field. Maybe Michelle will call you up for some matches." 

"I would love that, but I still have a lot of hard work ahead of me in order to get back into game shape."

"You'll get there and I'll be cheering you every step of the way." 

"Thanks, Mal." 

"For what?" 

"Being you and being here." 

"No place I'd rather be, not to mention I was getting a little tired of the snow." 

"And now the real reason, you came to visit comes out; it wasn't for me, it was to get away from the cold and snow!" 

"It was always for you, getting out of the cold and snow was a bonus." 

"Yeah, that's one thing I'm not looking forward to when I get home. I didn't even bring a winter jacket with me, so I'll have to remember to ask my Mom to bring one for me to the airport." 

The next day Charlotte is put through the paces with Pat watching for any signs of discomfort. 

"How are you feeling Charlie?" Pat asks her after completing a timed run on the treadmill. "I feel really good." 

"Any pain or discomfort?" 

"Nope. Can I go again?" 

"Showing off for your girlfriend, huh?" 

"Maybe, so can I?" Pat laughs.

"Yeah, let's get you set up and then check you out." 

Charlotte runs for a bit longer and can't contain the smile from forming on her face, it feels so good and she just wants to keep going. 

"Time's up, kid. Let's get you stretched out and then we can chat." 

Mal waits for her to come out of the office and when she does with a smile across her face, Mal knows its all good news. 

"Well?" 

"I'm good, in fact ahead of schedule. She gave me a plan for what to do while I'm away and then what will happen when I get back." 

"That's awesome! I'm so happy for you! We should celebrate!" 

"We can't drink, we're underage." 

"We don't need to drink to have fun, I was thinking more in terms of junk food overload."

"Now, that's a plan I can get behind." 

The next morning, they grab a cab to the airport and after both get checked for their respective flights, they drink coffee and hold each other until Mal's flight in announced over the intercom. 

"I love you, be safe." Charlotte and Mal share one last kiss and hug before she makes her way to catch her flight back to Denver. 

After three hours of waiting and finishing her novel she brought along to read, Charlotte's flight is finally called and she makes her way back across the US, before landing in Ogdensburg and being met by her Mom. 

"Welcome Home." 

They hug before heading to the car and catching up on the drive home.


	28. Chapter 28

Charlotte lays in her bed staring at the clock beside her and waits anxiously for the numbers to switch to 7:00. Once they do she gets up and completes her morning routine before heading out to the kitchen and getting the coffee machine all set to go along with lining up 3 cups on the counter. 

She looks at the window and smiles at the sight of the snow that has fallen overnight and coated everything before turning her attention to the living room where Santa has left a bag full of presents underneath the tree and stockings bursting at the seams. She switches on the Christmas lights and takes a few pictures of the setup, before returning to the task at hand. 

As the coffee finishes dripping, she makes a cup for her Mom, one for Mackenzie and the last one for herself. She takes a sip of the liquid before setting her cup back down and collecting the other two, making the walk down the hallway; first into her Mom's room to wake her up and then over to Mackenzie's room to get her older sister up. 

Mackenzie seeing the time tries to send her away, but once Charlotte brings out the cup of sweet-smelling coffee, she quickly changes her tune and sits up to take a long sip of the beverage.

"Merry Christmas, Kenz." 

"Merry Christmas, C.J. Is Mom up?" 

Charlotte nods, "Yep, I went to her first. Now, come on and get up, it's time for presents!" 

Mackenzie's face lights up at the word, presents and Charlotte laughs, leaving her to finish waking up as she heads back out to the kitchen to drink her own cup of coffee before it gets too cold.

Carol Gordon joins her youngest in the kitchen, hugging her, "Merry Christmas." 

"Merry Christmas, Mom. Why is Kenz taking so long to come out? I really can't wait to give her, her present." 

Carol laughs at her daughter, "All good things come to those who wait." 

"Urgh! I'm going to get her!" Charlotte takes off to motivate her sister into getting up and moving. 

"C.J.!!!" Mackenzie comes running out after Charlotte, who hides behind their Mom. 

"Mom! Save me!" Carol watches her daughters and just laughs at them. "What did you do now?" 

"Nothing." Charlotte laughs. "Except maybe turn her stereo up full blast." 

Carol shakes her head, "Okay, neutral corners or no one gets presents!"

After spending the next little while going through their stockings and opening presents, Mackenzie thinks that they are done and starts to clean up the mess. 

Charlotte looks at her Mom and nods. 

"Kenz, you have one more present." 

Charlotte hands her a card and Mackenzie looks at it unimpressed at first until she opens it and her face lights up, "You got me a car?" Charlotte nods, "Now, you can stop saving for a car and put that money towards moving out!" 

Mackenzie jumps up, climbs over the pile of stuff on the floor and wraps her arms around Charlotte, "Thank you. Best Christmas ever! So, when do I get it?" 

"You're welcome, I think. You'll need to sign some papers at the dealership on Monday and call the insurance company, but it's already sitting there waiting for you to pick it up." 

"Oh my God! I can't believe you got me a freaken car!" 

"It was what you asked for when and if my books ever made it; well, they are selling up a storm and I wanted to show you how much you mean to me and how much I appreciate everything you've done for and continue to do for me, I love you, Kenz and I hope you enjoy your new ride." 

"I can't wait to take it for a test spin! So, if you got me a car what did you get Mal for Christmas?" 

"A Cartier bracelet." 

"Holy crap! I thought you were going to say a Cartier ring, as in an engagement ring." 

Charlotte shakes her head, "I love Mal with everything in me, and one day I do plan on proposing to her; but right now isn't the time. Now, what about you and this mystery guy you've been seeing when do I get to meet him? And why don't I even know his name?" 

Mackenzie smiles, "You'll get to meet him before you head to Denver, I promise." 

"C'mon, I need more than that, Kenz." 

"Fine. His name is Billy and the reason I haven't told you much about him is that he works in the media and public relations department for the Syracuse Mets." 

"Eww, Kenz, you're dating a Mets fan?" 

Mackenzie shrugs and smiles, "We can't help who we fall for, can we C.J.?" 

Charlotte laughs, "Yeah, I fell for a Rockies fan, but I'm trying to convert her." 

Carol stands up and starts cleaning up the discarded paper, "If the two of you are done talking about baseball, I could use some help in cleaning up and making breakfast." 

Charlotte and Mackenzie get up and help finish the cleanup as Carol gets to work on their customary Christmas morning pancakes with chocolate chips. 

A little while later as they sit down to eat, there is a knock on the door. Charlotte gets up and answers it, hugging Finn and wishing him a "Merry Christmas."

"Matthew, would you like to stay for pancakes?" 

"Ohh, yes please, with chocolate chips?" 

Carol laughs, "Grab a seat." 

Charlotte, Mackenzie and Finn chat, laugh and catch up with each other while devouring Carol's famous pancakes. 

"How's school been, Finn?" 

"Lots of assignments and late nights, but good for the most part; how about you?" 

"Same, it's been a bit of a balancing act staying on top of school stuff, and doing my rehab at the same time." 

"But you're almost cleared to return to playing, right?" 

"I still have a bit of time before I'll be cleared to play, but I'm going to be allowed to slowly start to join in on some drills and stuff when I return and I can't wait!" 

"What are you going to do once you're cleared?" 

"Keep training with the girls and hope that I get invited back to play for the U20 team during the summer; if not, then maybe I'll train with Mal." 

"What's happening with that girlfriend of yours?" Charlotte smiles at the thought of Mal. "The NWSL Draft is coming up in a few weeks and then afterwards teams are able to source players through an allocation process and invite them to tryouts and or offer contracts to them. The Spirit holds the first choice in the distribution ranking order and has made it known that they want Mal. Provided everything clears with US Soccer and the NWSL, Mal could join them this season."

Charlotte looks at the time on her phone and jumps up, "I need to call Mal, she should be up by now; Finn, we'll hang later, right?" 

"Yep, and don't forget you are all coming over tomorrow for our annual Boxing Day bonanza!"

Charlotte laughs, hugs him and then heads to her room, shutting the door behind her as she pulls up Mal on Facetime and hits the dial button. 

As the call connects, Charlotte can tell that Mal is still in bed and was most likely asleep until the phone rang. 

"Hey." Mal yawns. 

"Hey, yourself. Merry Christmas, Mally; I'm sorry if I woke you." 

"S'okay, I should probably get up soon anyway. Merry Christmas, C.J. Was Santa good to you?" 

"I got the best present ever this, Christmas." 

Mal looks at the screen with a questioningly and Charlotte laughs, "I was referring to you, beautiful; you are the only present I ever need. I love you and can't wait to ring in the New Year with you."

"Way too early for me to think up a response for your cutesy comments, but I love you, too and I can't wait for our New Year's kiss." 

"The first New Year's kiss of many to come." 

Mal smiles, "Umm, how did Kenz like her car?" 

"We couldn't get the paperwork sorted out in time for her to get it for Christmas, but come Monday she will have her new wheels." 

"She must be stoked." 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "So, she finally caved and gave me some info on the guy she's been seeing." 

"And?" 

"Turns out he works for the Syracuse Mets, that's why she didn't want to tell me because she knew I would rib her about it." 

Mal laughs, "And did you?" 

"A little bit, but there will be more to come once I meet him." 

"Be nice to your sister's boyfriend." 

"But, he's a Mets fan!" 

Mal laughs and shakes her head, "Okay, I'm hanging up now, mostly because I really have to go to the washroom and I'm sure you don't want to join me in that and also I need caffeine and presents!" 

"I would go anywhere with you, Mal, even the washroom." 

Mal laughs, "I love you and I'll call you later. Give my best to your Mom and Kenz." 

"I will and please tell your parents Merry Christmas for me." 

"Bye, babe." 

"Bye, Mally." 

Over the next few days, Charlotte and Finn are back to being inseparable while Mackenzie spends her time with Billy and his family. 

Charlotte accompanies Finn inside after they finished cleaning off the cars, shovelling the sidewalk and cleaning the driveway.

"Matthew, could you please bring some of these cookies to Carol and the girls. I just made them and they are still warm." 

"Umm, Mom, Charlie is right here." 

"Oh, I didn't see you there. Would you like a fresh-baked cookie?" 

Charlotte never being one to turn down cookies, especially fresh from the oven ones, smiles, "Yes, please!" 

They take off their outside clothing and her and Finn sit down with his Mom to have a drink and a few cookies. 

"I hope that Matthew wasn't making you do too much shovelling, we don't need you injuring your knee." 

"Actually he wouldn't let me do any shovelling; he let me use the snowblower, instead." 

"Good. So, I hear that your books are doing really well in stores and selling a ton of copies, you must be excited about that." 

"I am, it's awesome to see the sales numbers keep rising, but I also know that the publishing company is getting swarmed with emails and messages about my real identity and there are websites and blogs and stuff where people are trying to piece it together and it all concerns me as to how long I'm going to be able to remain hidden and also for your guys safety." 

"Charlotte, you needn't be concerned about that or us. The only paperwork with your true identity attached to it is locked away in a safety deposit box, to which only my husband and I have access and you can be certain we aren't allowing anyone to see inside it. Even Matthew here doesn't know where it is." 

"Thank you, for that. It's just that Mal brought up a good point as well, now that I have money to spend, I want to spend it and I can't do that without raising questions. It was enough that we played Kenz's car off like it was money from an inheritance. I should really be thinking about my future and how to safeguard it." 

"I think that is a good idea, we'll talk with your Mom and discuss having someone to manage your finances for you. We can have it set up so essentially you get an allowance but the remainder is kept secure and or invested." 

"You seem to know a lot about this kinda stuff, Mom." 

"I may have picked up a thing or two from your father through the years." 

After a discussion with all the people in the know about the real identity of J.C. Glass, they are able to meet with a financial advisor and formulate a plan of action for how her income from the books will be handled in the future. 

Charlotte listens in and interjects to the conversation where need be via an app set up to distort her voice through her legal representative's phone (Finn's Dad).

On the day Charlotte is scheduled to fly to Denver, she is shocked when Mackenzie throws her car keys at her, "You're driving; I figure it's about time you get a chance to drive Ruby." 

"You named your car?" 

"No, Ruby named herself ... of course not, I named my car, she's a beaut like a real ruby."

Charlotte laughs, "Let me just finish packing and say goodbye to everyone and then we can go."

Charlotte says her goodbyes and her and Mackenzie head in the familiar direction of the airport. 

"What's this button do, Kenz?" 

"Press it and find out." Charlotte presses it. "Oh my God, I didn't know it had heated seats." 

"Oh yeah, it's absolutely perfect, C.J. I can't thank you enough for it. It's nice not to have to worry about whether the old beast will start up or not."

"I'm glad you like it." 

Arriving at the airport, Charlotte goes through the usual process of getting checked in for her flight and then takes a seat waiting for it to be called. 

Mackenzie joins her and hands her a cup, "I don't need any more caffeine Kenz, I'm wired enough." 

"It's that flavoured tea you like." 

"Thank you."

"Your welcome. So, quick question did you threaten to use Billy for target practice if he treated me badly?" 

Charlotte laughs, "I may have, but in my defence, someone needed to step up and have the chat with him about his intentions and having recently been through it, I figured I was up to the task." 

Mackenzie laughs, "I love you C.J. and I going to miss you." 

"Love you, Kenz and I'll be back before you know it." 

With Charlotte's flight being called in the background the sisters get up and share one last hug and smile before, Charlotte makes her way to Denver to spend New Year's with Mal and her family. 

Looking around the airport she finds the smile she's been missing so much and walks towards her. They hold each other before sharing a quick peck on the lips and making their way out to the car. 

Mal unlocks the door and lets her and Charlotte in, before relocking it. 

"Where're your parents?"

Mal takes her hand, "Put your bag down and come with me." 

Charlotte follows her into her bedroom and is floored by what she sees there. "Now, to answer your question, my parents are celebrating New Years with Brianna and we have the house to ourselves for the next few days and I fully intend for us to make the most of our time together, so how about we get started, by losing our clothes." 

They kiss and help each other remove their clothes until they are standing, holding each other naked. 

"Where do you want to start?" 

"This is all new to me, Babe, I have no clue!" 

Mal giggles, "Me neither, how about we start with the vibrators and go from there." 

"Oh my God, what has happened to my little Mally, she's turned into a sex fiend." 

"I can put this all away if you like, but it's all non-returnable and personally I'd like to try some of them out with you."

"I'm game if you are." 

After playing around and getting a feel for a few of the items, they both want more and Charlotte asks Mal to put on the strap on, she does and almost loses it when her girlfriend lays back and bares herself to her. 

Mal lines up the strap on with Charlotte's soaked entrance and as Charlotte pulls her down and kisses her hard, she enters her easily and hears Charlotte let out a loud moan as she does. 

"You okay, babe?" 

"Mal, don't stop now, I need you to....." 

Mal thrusts into her hard and can't help but laugh when Charlotte all but screams out, "Oh my God." as she continues moving in and out of her. She holds her tight as she thrusts inside her one more time while rubbing her clit and feeling her body tighten up before it releases. 

Mal removes the strap on and climbs up on the bed beside Charlotte, moving some stray hairs away from her face before kissing her gently and then pulling her into her arms. 

She listens to Charlotte's staggered breaths before they soften and she knows that her girlfriend has fallen asleep in her arms and after pulling up the blanket to cover them, joins her. 


	29. Chapter 29

Charlotte turns over to wrap her arm around Mal but instead is met instead by a cold, empty spot beside her. 

She sits up and feels a bit stiff and sore from last night's activities. 

"Mal?"

MAL?" 

Getting no response, she climbs out of bed and collects some clothes from Mal's drawer to put on before heading to the washroom to complete her morning routine. 

She walks out to the kitchen and can't help but smile as Mal is dancing around while making them breakfast as she listens to music through her headphones. 

Charlotte watches on and records her for a short time until Mal finally catches a glimpse of her and stops what she's doing. 

She takes out the headphones and sets them on the counter, "I was trying to make you breakfast in bed, and you ruined it." Mal gives her best sulk face and then laughs. 

"Sorry, Mally." Charlotte smiles at her, "So, what are we having?" 

"Avocado toast, along with some fruit, juice and coffee. Hope you don't mind if the eggs are scrambled." 

Charlotte smiles and shakes her head, "Nope, as long as there aren't any shells in them, I'll eat them." 

"Umm, no guarantees on that." Mal dishes up their food, and they head over to the table to sit and eat. 

"Is it okay?" 

"So far, so good, Babe."

"C.J., are you okay with what we did last night?" Mal looks at her with sad, questioning eyes. 

Charlotte reaches her hand over to Mal's and takes it, "I admit that I was kinda scared at times last night, but that was more about being nervous than anything; I don't regret what we did last night, as we did it together with love and trust in each other." 

"But physically, you're okay, right? I know that you never..." 

"I'm okay, bit stiff and sore, but nothing I can't handle. Can I ask what possessed you to buy toys in the first place, I thought what we did and how we did it was good." 

"Curiosity more than anything, I guess, I mean they are always using them in the movies, so I figured we should try them out and no, there are definitely no issues with what we do or how we do it." 

"Okay, I get it, but how about in the future, we talk things through before we make any more purchases. Deal?" 

"Deal. It's hard, you know, because I'm surrounded most of the time by older players who freely discuss sex and their sex lives, and they question me and us, and I don't have anything to contribute." 

"I get that it puts you in a difficult position, but you need to tell them that what happens in our relationship is between us and not any of their business. And they need to understand that we're teenagers and still learning about ourselves, each other and how to have a healthy, committed relationship and we don't need their interference." 

Mal smiles, "I love you and that big brain of yours." 

"I love you, too, Mally. What are we doing for the rest of the day?" 

"How about we curl up and have a movie marathon?" 

"Sounds like a plan, but first, how about we clean up the mess you made in the kitchen and refill our cups." 

They spend the remainder of the day just relaxing and enjoying spending time with each other. 

The next day is New Year's Eve, and they debate the merits of each of them getting dressed up for a party of two later on in the evening. 

"Please, C.J., I want to get dressed up and do the whole stay up late for the countdown and watch the ball drop." 

"But, it's just the two of us, it seems like overkill to get dressed up to have pizza, eat junk food and watch movies together." 

"Please? I'll make it worth your while." 

"I'm still sore from you, making it worth my while, Babe." 

"We haven't opened the massage oil yet, how about I give you a full body massage in exchange for you getting dressed up for me?" 

"Fine, you win." Mal kisses her, "Was there ever any doubt?" 

Charlotte smiles into the kiss she places on Mal's lips.

Charlotte feels Mal's arms wrap around her, and her lips meet the flesh on her shoulder, and she lets out a slight moan, "If you keep doing that, then I'm never going to finish getting dressed." 

"Sorry, not sorry, it was just too tempting an offer to pass upon, and I needed your help to zip me up." 

Charlotte turns around and slowly zips up the skin-tight black dress Mal has on. "How is it even possible for someone to look as sexy as you currently do? God, your gorgeous, Mal." 

"And now you know why I wanted to play dress-up. I bought this dress with you in mind."

"You weren't going to wear it in front of your parents, were you?" 

Mal laughs and shakes her head, "No, they haven't seen it. Lindsey helped me pick it out when we hung out a few weeks ago."

"Remind me to thank her." 

"I'm calling in the pizza order, and when I get back, you'd better be dressed in something other than just underwear, even though I very much approve of the view from here." 

Mal heads out of the room, and Charlotte slides on the wine number that Mackenzie assured her was a "panty dropper." She laughs and shakes her head at the thought of the conversation they had in regards to what a guy finds hot versus a girl when it comes to clothing choices. 

She walks over to her suitcase and collects the earrings that she bought to go along with the outfit, puts them in and then reluctantly slides on the heels she purchased to finish out the look. She touches up her makeup before making the walkout to the living room, where she finds Mal on a Facetime call with her sister. 

"Woah."

Mal looks at her sister and the screen wondering why the reaction and then turns to see Charlotte standing there. She hears Brianna laughing at her reaction to seeing her girlfriend all dressed up. "Umm, Bri, I umm should go, now, love you." 

Brianna continues to laugh, "Have fun, but not too much fun. Bye, Charlie." 

Mal hangs up from the call and immediately moves off the couch to wrap her arms around Charlotte and kiss her. "I take it that you approve?" 

"You look so beautiful, C.J." 

As they wait for the food to arrive, they put on some music and start dancing around. Charlotte removes her shoes to lessen the impact of the movements on her knees. As they slow dance to a song, thanks to Mal still wearing her heels, they are almost level in their height.

Once the food arrives, they chill out for a bit and take some pictures and videos to post wishing all of their friends, family and fans a "Happy New Year" and then set their phones down for the remainder of the evening. 

Getting comfy, they put a movie on to watch and kill some time, and as it finishes, Mal switches over, and they watch and listen to the events preceding the ball drop in New York. 

As it hits midnight, they share a long kiss and smile at each other, "You do realize that it isn't midnight here, right?" 

Mal smiles, "Yep, but you're from New York, so it is for you and I honestly don't know how much longer I can wait to help you out of that dress." 

"Good logic, Mally; how about we shut everything down and head into the bedroom." 

After they put everything away and shut down the electronics, they head towards the bedroom and take a few last pictures of themselves dressed up before slowly helping each other out of their clothes. 

"I seem to recall mention of a massage." 

Mal laughs before kissing her and leading her over to the bed, "On your stomach, Gordon." 

"Yes, ma'am, Captain Mally." 

Mal does her best to massage out the knots in Charlotte's muscles, and as her girlfriend lets out a variety of moans and groans underneath her, she can't help but get turned on. 

As Charlotte turns over, thoughts of the massage are replaced with the need for both of them to taste each other and soon, they find themselves situated so that both of them can do just that. 

Mal lays down beside Charlotte and they both bust out laughing, "So much for not having sex, huh?" 

"Blame raging teenage hormones." 

Mal places her head on Charlotte's chest and soon falls asleep wrapped in her arms. 

Two days later and it's time for Charlotte to head back to California and start the next phase of her rehab program.

As the semester gets underway, she and Alanna take the time to watch and listen to the NWSL Draft and cheer when a couple of their former teammates are drafted in the first and second round, including their favourite blonde goalkeeper, Jane Campbell, who is chosen by the Houston Dash. 

"I'm going to miss having Jane around." 

"She'll still be around for the remainder of the term and then head to Houston. How are things with you and Mal?" 

"Good, we talk once or twice a day, and I had the trainer Facetime her so she could see me going through my drills and footwork yesterday." 

"How close are you to returning to full strength?" 

"4 - 6 weeks, sucks that we are out of season, so I won't make my Stanford debut until next year." 

"Yeah, but you will have all summer to continue getting your form back and once the new season comes around I expect you'll be in the best shape of your life." 

Charlotte smiles and hugs her roommate, "Thanks, Lan, you always know what to say or do to cheer me up." 

"Yeah well some of us can only deal with your mopey ass for so long before it gets annoying." 

Charlotte laughs and grabs her bag, "I'll be at the library if you need me." 

"There's a library here?" 

"Actually, there's more than one. Later, Lan." Charlotte shakes her head as she walks out. 

The next few months pass by and Charlotte is finally cleared to resume playing and she can't wait to get back on the field with a team any team at this point in time she doesn't even care which team it is just a team and a game. 

As she reaches the end of her first year at Stanford it's almost bittersweet as she's gotten in such a routine there and made so many friends, she doesn't want to leave. Her grades and GPA have ensured that she will finish the year off near or at the top of her program.

She completes and submits her last few papers and then gets to studying for her finals. 

Two weeks later, she packs up her belongings and says her goodbyes before making the trip back home. 

Sitting on the couch back home, she and her Mom talk about anything and everything playing catch up after the younger Gordon opted to remain in California for the duration of the semester in order to complete her rehab and stay on top of her studies.

Mackenzie comes in and hugs her sister and they chat for a bit before Kenz asks her if she has looked at the latest sales numbers. 

"I haven't looked for the last few weeks, I wanted to stay focused on school stuff; Mr. Finnegan called me and let me know that they were picking up a couple of options on the contracts to expand the printing and distribution radius of the books." 

"C.J. are you freaking kidding me right now? How are you so chill about the fact that your books are now worldwide and being printed in multiple languages?" 

"I guess out of sight, out of mind." 

"OH MY GOD!! ARE YOU EVEN AWARE THAT THE KNOWN HAS SOLD OVER 2 MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE AND THAT NUMBER IS RISING?"

Charlotte looks at her sister and Mom, "Seriously?" She deadpans to see their reaction before cracking up, "Kenz, you can relax, I know how well they are doing. Mal has been keeping me updated and I've been reading the emails you've sent me. I have no control over what happens with the books so I've tried to shift my attention to what is within my control, meaning my rehab, schooling and relationship with Mal. Now, if you don't mind I just want to be able to relax and enjoy the fact of being able to sleep in my own comfy bed. And also don't you have a boyfriend you should be focusing your attention on?" 

"He's in Florida right now for Spring Training." 

New Message

Mally: Are you able to talk at the moment?

C.J.: Yeah, what's up?

Mally: I'll call you in a few and explain.

C.J.: Okay.

Charlotte stands up, "I'll talk to you later, okay, Kenz? Mal is going to be calling me soon." 

She heads into the office and gets comfy on the couch in the room as she awaits the call. 

Ring, ring

"Hey." 

"Hey, baby, so I have some news." 

"Okay, spill." 

"I know you just got home but how would you feel about moving to Washington with me?" 

"It's a done deal?" 

"Very soon, I've been given the go-ahead to start practicing with the team and am being set up with an apartment."

"Will you be living with anyone?" 

"That depends on you. My parents don't want me living alone and I suggested to them the possibility of you moving in with me and they were surprisingly okay with the idea." 

Charlotte laughs, "Your parents love me and they know I can cook, so you won't starve." 

"What do you think?" 

"I'm in as long as I can train with you. Also, Mal, I think it's time to talk with your parents about you know who; I know how difficult it has been for you hiding it from them and I want them to know that my word is good when I say I will be able to look after you in the future if anything happens." 

"Are you sure, C.J.?" 

"I'm sure." 


	30. Chapter 30

Things move fast for Mal and Charlotte soon after that conversation; Mal is set up in an apartment just in time for them to celebrate her birthday together. Soon afterwards she officially signs on the dotted line and becomes a member of the Washington Spirit and a week later Charlotte, Horace, Karen and Brianna make the trip to the Maryland Soccerplex in anticipation of her making her NWSL debut that evening against the visitors from FC Kansas City. 

At the beginning of the second half, the crowd grows excited when they see the young star warming up on the sidelines and getting final instructions from her coach. 

In the 54th minute of the game, Charlotte watches on and wipes the tears from her eyes as her Mally takes to the pitch in exchange for fellow forward Arielle Ship. 

In the end, the Spirit ends up losing the game by a final score of 1 - 0 but that bit of information is all but lost in the aftermath of the long-awaited debut of USWNT star, Mallory Pugh.

After the game, they all go out to a restaurant to celebrate and Charlotte asks if she can speak with them once they are back at the hotel. 

Mal holds her hand, "You don't have to do this, C.J." 

"I do, it's important that they are in the know." 

Mal laughs and shakes her head, "That was bad, babe." 

They follow Horace and Karen into their room. "Mal, can you get Bri as well, she should be in on this conversation." 

Mal leaves the room to get her sister. 

"Based on your serious look, you about to either tell me that Mal is pregnant or you got engaged without first getting my permission." 

Mal looks at Horace, "No, Sir, Mal is definitely not pregnant and I would never propose without first asking for your permission." 

"Good, so what's on your mind, Charlie?" 

"Can we sit and wait for Mal to get back?" 

The door opens and Mal and Brianna enter the room. 

"Dad, did you threaten C.J. because she's looking a little green at the moment." 

"He just asked me if I somehow miraculously impregnated you that's all." 

"DAD, YOU DIDN'T!" 

Horace laughs as does Karen and then Charlotte as well. 

"It's all good Mal." Mal walks over and takes the chair beside Charlotte reaching over to take her hand. 

"You better spit it out kid, I need to make a call." 

"Bri!" 

"Okay, I need to ask that what I'm about to tell you stays in the strictest confidence, there are very few people who know this information and I would like to keep it that way as long as possible. So, do I have your word that I can trust you all?" 

"Mal, are you dating some form of freak or what?" 

"Oh my God Bri, shut up and listen." 

"Do you all promise not to share the information?" 

Mal smiles and nods at Charlotte causing her to smile. 

"Have you heard of the author J.C. Glass?" 

"Yeah, the books are awesome; Mal gave them to me for Christmas and I read them over a weekend." 

"Do you know who J.C. Glass is?" 

Brianna shakes her head, "No, it's weird there are all kinds of stories going around the internet about the real identity of the author but no one seems to know who it is or even if they are male or female." 

Charlotte laughs, "I can answer that question for you Brianna, J.C. Glass is, in fact, a female and currently sitting across the room from you." 

"What?" 

Mal smiles as her sister and parents start to put the pieces together. 

"Are you saying that you are J.C. Glass, the author of The Known, Into The Unknown and Know-How - the books that are currently flying up the bestseller lists?

Charlotte nods, "I am in fact J.C. Glass or should I say that J.C. Glass is me? Either way, it's the truth." 

"Prove it!" 

Charlotte looks at Brianna, "Ask me anything?"

Mal can't help but smile at the challenge knowing that her sister is about to get schooled by her girlfriend. 

"What is the overarching ideology behind the trilogy?" 

"Really, that's all you got? Okay, then...

Human beings are subjected to a multitude of choices and options on a regular basis and it often seems as though we spend a good chunk of our time identifying and then weighing the pros and cons of all of them; the ideology behind the trilogy was very simply a theoretical perspective as to what could possibly happen if our ability to be able to think about and make all those choices was taken away from us. How would we react, would we even be aware that something was missing, would we have the ability to realize the overall impact on us and society as a whole with having a computer make our decisions and if so, what would we be willing to do to regain control and our right to choose."

"Any more questions?" 

"Yeah, where did the name J.C. Glass come from? 

"Obviously it's a pseudonym. The J stands for Jason, which was my Dad's first name and the C stands for Charlotte which is, of course, my name and Glass was just chosen as a play on being transparent. My father is the one who originally came up with the idea for The Known and began laying down the groundwork and creating the plotline for the Known Universe, I'm just the one who put took the information that he left behind and converted his thoughts and ideas into a series of books."

"Why did you use a pseudonym, to begin with?" 

"I originally submitted The Known to a bunch of publishing places under my real name and they all turned it down. I received a message from one of them that suggested I try and self-publish and that perhaps the books being credited to a female writer was detracting from them being read. So, when Kenz, I mean my sister Mackenzie, approached me about using a pseudonym, I went with it and thanks to a lot of her hard work along with my best friend Finn, the books started selling.

To expand on that answer and answer the next possible question, it wasn't until a celebrity was photographed carrying and reading The Known, that I was contacted by a few publishing companies about joining their stable of writers and I ended up signing with Dell. 

The whole who is J.C. Glass gimmick was something that Kenz had originally started to stir up some interest in the books and the publishing company liked the angle of my real identity being a mystery and has expanded on it."

"Are you ever planning on revealing your real identity?" 

"Maybe, but the timing will have to be right; for the moment I don't want to be known for being an author, I simply want to be a soccer player, Stanford student and girlfriend." Mal leans over and kisses her cheek. 

"How long has Mal known the truth?" 

"She didn't originally, I suggested she read the books so that we could talk about them and then when I felt she was invested in them, told her. It was when she came home with me after the Olympics."

"I can't believe that Mal has been able to keep this from us." 

"Mal understands how insecure I am about the books and respects that they don't define who I am as a person." 

"Why would you be insecure about the books, Charlie?" 

Charlotte looks at Karen and tilts her head down, "I guess all the letters of rejection are still stuck in the back of my head, that and the fact that I'll never know if they meet my Dad's approval or are true to his original vision for them. Any more questions?" 

"Yeah. How much are you worth?" 

"Brianna, that's not your business." 

"It's okay, Karen, to answer the question, my worth is determined by the number of books that are sold; so right now, I'm doing pretty well and thanks to Mal I went ahead and met with a financial planner and I have investments that will hopefully pay dividends in the future." 

Mal squeezes her hand, "What C.J. is trying to tell you guys is that she has a plan and money for the future, so you don't need to worry about me or us. And she also didn't want me to have to continue keeping this information from you as she isn't a fan of having secrets except for in this case where her wish to remain anonymous is more to protect those around her than anything." 

"Mom, Dad, do you have anything to say?"

Karen smiles, "I guess that I really should read those books now."

"You should Mom, they are really good, are at least they were until Sarah was killed off!"

Charlotte watches the three Pugh women talk about the books and sits there quietly. 

"Karen, Mallory and Brianna can you please step outside for a few minutes while Charlie and I talk." 

Karen squeezes Horace's arm as she goes by and follows her daughters outside. 

"I'm not in trouble am I?" 

Horace smiles and shakes his head, "Not a chance of that unless you hurt Mal in any way shape or form." 

"Then, why did you want to speak to me alone?" 

Horace looks at her and stands up, walking over to her and putting his arms out, she looks at him and stands to allow him to wrap his arms around her. 

Horace steps back and takes a seat on the end of the bed, "I know based on our previous conversations how close you were to your Dad and I figure that talking about books that were inspired by him and his work couldn't have been very easy for you; so I figured you could use a Dad hug." 

"Thank you, I really did need that and I hope you understand and accept my position on all of this." 

"I do, and I respect the fact that you are more concerned with protecting those around you than receiving the accolades for your achievements."

"Sir, I love Mal and if anything were to happen to her because of me, I don't think I could live with myself." 

"There will be none of that talk allowed because nothing is going to happen to Mal or you Charlie. If it's alright with you I would like to be in contact with your representative to make certain you are being properly looked after." 

"That isn't necessary, Horace." 

"Charlie, you are a part of my family now and I look after my family." 

Charlotte allows herself to be embraced by him once more as the tears roll down her face in response to his statement. 

The door opens and Brianna sticks her head in the room, "Mal, Dad broke your girlfriend."

They both let out a laugh, "No he didn't. I'm okay." 

Charlotte stands up, "I guess it's time for us to head home, so Mal can get some sleep." 

"Or you can do something else." Mal smacks her sister's arm as they make their way towards the door. 

Charlotte turns back and smiles at Horace and mouths, "Thank you." as they head out the door. 

"You okay, C.J.? My Dad didn't do or say anything to upset you did he?" 

Charlotte smiles at her girlfriend and leans over to kiss her, "I love you, Mallory Pugh, and to answer your question, I'm really good, probably better than I've been in a long time."

As Mal gets more familiar with her Spirit teammates and her and Charlotte get into a routine of their own at home, Charlotte gets a surprising phone call a few days later while Mal is away to play the back half of a home and away against FC Kansas City. 

"Hello?" 

"Charlie, it's Michelle French, how are you feeling?" 

"I'm better than ever and can't wait to get back on the field." 

"That's good to hear; I understand that you are currently in Washington and have been doing some training alongside the Spirit and staff."

"Yeah, as well as working with a personal trainer and coach." 

"The reason I'm calling Charlie is that we have some games coming up against Germany next month would you be interested in coming to camp for them?" 

"YES! Just tell me when I where I need to be." 

"Actually, the camp and games will be held at George Mason University, in Fairfax." 

"Awesome! Wait does that mean I have to move to a hotel for a few days?" 

"Yes, it's the camp experience and we're looking to you to be one of the leaders, now that some of the girls have aged out or in Mal's case move on to bigger and better things." 

"Okay, I'm fine with that, can you email me the pertinent information, please?" 

"Of course, check your inbox. See you soon Charlie and I can't wait to have you back." 

"Thanks, Coach. Bye." 

Charlotte looks at the time and realizes that it's close to game time so Mal won't answer her phone if she calls, so instead, she sends her a message.

New Message

C.J.: I just got off the phone with Michelle, I'm being recalled to the U20 team for a couple of matches. I'm stoked!! Anyways, Good luck tonight, I love you and call me later. 

Charlotte sits and reads over the email and roster information and then makes a call. 

Ring, ring

"What do you want?" 

"And you wonder why I chose Mal over your sorry ass." 

Ashley laughs, "So, you're back?" 

"Yep, just got off the phone with Michelle a short time ago." 

"Awesome, I can't wait to be back playing with you! Is it okay if I request you as my roommate? I ended up with a snorer in Spain and it was brutal!" 

"I'm fine with that provided Mal agrees." 

"How are you and Mal doing, I can't imagine it's been all fun and games living together." 

"We've had a few issues, but nothing we haven't been able to navigate through, aside from having to replace some clothing because it accidentally came out of the washing machine a different colour than it went in." 

Ashley laughs, "Yep, been there. I hope it was yours and not Mal's clothing that needed to be replaced." 

"Thankfully, yes." 

"I should go, the 'rents have arrived home. Bye, Charlie." 

"Bye, Ash." 

Charlotte spends the remainder of her evening catching up on episodes of Law & Order: SVU, and messaging her friends and family with the news before falling asleep on the couch.

The next morning she wakes up feeling disoriented by the fact that she isn't in the bedroom and then trying to find her phone which apparently fell in between the cushions and died sometime during the night. 

She plugs her phone in to charge while she gets changed into some workout clothes and hears it chiming away with messages as it powers up. 

With her battery sitting low, she opts to send Mal a message letting her know what's going on and that she will call her when she gets back from her run.

An hour later, she gets back and plugs the phone back in while she makes herself a coffee and some breakfast. 

Once the food hits the plate, she carries it and the mug over to the coffee table and sets it down before heading into the bedroom to grab her phone. 

She dials Mal's number and puts it on speaker so she can eat while talking. 

"Congratulations." 

"Thanks, Babe; how was your game last night?"

"We lost 3 - 2, but I played the full 90." 

"How are you feeling this morning?" 

"Bit tired, heading to do some recovery soon. How are you?" 

"I'm good, excited; did you see where the games are being played?"

Mal laughs, "Yeah, so how many nights am I sleeping alone?" 

"Only a few and I'm sure they won't mind if you show up to watch the camp and games." 

"Oh, I plan on being there." 

"Hope so. I should hit the shower now, but I'll see you tonight when you get home and we'll celebrate." 

"Love you, C.J." 

"Love you, Mally." 

Later on, when Mal arrives back at their apartment, she finds a dozen red roses on the table along with a card with her name written on it. 

She opens it and smiles, "You already own my heart, now follow the petals to my arms." 

Looking down she notices and follows more rose petals down the hallway to the bathroom door, where there is another note written on the door "No clothes allowed beyond this point." 

Mal laughs as she takes off her clothes and then opens the door to find the water running in the tub and candles around the room, but no Charlotte. 

She feels arms wrap around her from behind, "Looking for me?" 

"Mmm." 

"I hope you don't mind I got some new candles and essential oils and I wanted to try them out." 

"I don't mind at all. This is perfect, C.J." 

"Not yet it isn't." Charlotte reaches around and turns the water off before climbing in the steaming bubbly water. Mal follows her lead and takes her place in front of Charlotte in the water, laying back on her chest. 

"Now, it's perfect." 


	31. Chapter 31

Charlotte lays in bed staring at her phone and waiting for the alarm to sound out. 

"Just get up already, Babe." 

Charlotte looks over at Mal who has her head on the pillow and eyes closed, "I promised that I wouldn't get up until the alarm went off." 

"I know you're excited about today and being back on the field, just get up and when the coffee is ready wake me up and then we can shower together before heading to the hotel."

Charlotte leans over and kisses Mal's forehead before getting up, heading to the bathroom to complete her morning routine and then out to the kitchen to tackle making them coffee and because she has plenty of time breakfast as well. 

As she waits for the eggs to cook and the coffee to drip she pulls out her phone and looks through her messages and social media. 

She smiles when she sees that Ashley has posted a photo of the two of them on her Instagram with the caption, "Welcome back, bestie, can't wait to get back out there with ya!" Charlotte likes the photo and then comments, "Can't wait! Soooo excited!!!!!!"

After she finished making breakfast she loads the plates on to a tray and carries everything back into the bedroom, setting it down on the dresser before climbing back in bed with Mal and gently waking her girlfriend up with kisses and touches down her naked body. 

"Mmmm, I'm going to miss you waking me up like this." Mal opens her eyes and smiles as Charlotte kisses her back. 

"Me too, but it's only for 6 days and 5 nights. Now, sit up I made us breakfast." 

Mal props the pillows behind her and sits up against the headboard, Charlotte grabs her plate and coffee and hands them to her as she admires the view and smiles.

"Whatcha thinking, C.J.?" Mal looks at her as she sips the coffee.

"Just that it didn't think it possible, but you get more beautiful each day." Mal smiles and laughs, "I'm already in your bed, so you can quit with the one-liners."

"I'm not going to ever quit speaking the truth, Mally." 

"Okay, well here's a truth for you, your breakfast is getting cold while you are watching me eat, so how about you grab your plate and join me." 

Charlotte smiles and does just that, taking her place beside Mal and they chat as they eat. 

"Why is it that your eggs taste so better than mine? What am I doing wrong?" 

"I don't know, but it probably makes a difference when you don't have to chew through pieces of shell." 

"You're never going to let me live that down are you?" 

Charlotte laughs and shakes her head, "Nope because it was a huge chunk and I really don't know how you missed it." 

"Whatever, you still ate them." 

"Yes, because they were made with love." 

"Oh my God, enough! I can't take any more of you being all cutesy this early in the morning." 

"Admit it, you love it, Mally." 

Mal smiles and turns to look at her, "I do love it and I love you." 

"I love you, too. I'm nervous about today, Mal." 

"I know you are, it's going to be the first real test on your knee. But, you've worked your ass off to get to this point and you need to believe that today will be the first step towards getting back out on the field and getting back into game shape." 

"I feel like I'm physically ready but there is a small part of me that is scared." 

"I get it, it's hard coming back from any injury but everyone has cleared you to play; I guarantee that once you get back out there and get your first touch in, you'll be good to go." 

Mal wipes a tear from Charlotte's cheek, and kisses the spot where it was, "There's no crying in soccer unless you're a guy." 

Charlotte laughs and she and Mal share a hug before heading to the bathroom to grab a shower together.

A few hours later and Mal and Charlotte park in the parking lot of the hotel, where the U20 players are staying for the camp and game. 

"You ready?" Mal looks over at her girlfriend in the passenger seat and waits for her response. 

"Let's go." 

Charlotte collects her suitcase out of the backseat and sets it down, pulling the handle out so that she can tug it along behind her as they walk inside. 

Once in the hotel, they are met by some of the US Soccer reps in the lobby and Charlotte is given her room card. 

"Do you know if Ashley has arrived yet?" 

The look at the list for her name, and nod, "She checked in and collected her card already. Do, you need anything else?" 

"No, I'm good, thanks." 

They head to the elevator and up to the 3rd floor where the rooms are. The doors open and they walk right into a group of players. 

"Charlie!!!" 

Charlotte gets swarmed as does Mal and they slowly make their way down the hall to the room, where the door is already propped open. 

"Hey Sanchez, look who we found trying to sneak in." 

Ashley gets up off the bed, walks over and hugs them both. "I couldn't remember if you had a bed preference, so I grabbed the one closest to the door if that's cool." 

"All good, Ash." 

They spend the next while as a group playing catch up before they are reminded that they have a group orientation session to attend. 

Charlotte and Mal hug and share a kiss, "Love you, Mally." 

"Love you, too. Be good! Message me later." 

"I'm always good!" Mal gives her a side look as does Ashley. "Okay, well, mostly, good." 

They laugh as Mal heads out of the hotel and Ashley and Charlotte join the team for the meeting. 

"Alright, I promise that I won't keep you guys too long, but it's in my contract that I need to review the rules, regulations and expectations with you at the beginning of every camp."

Charlotte drowns out the spiel about everything until she hears her name being mentioned. 

"I'd like you all to welcome back to the team, Charlie, please don't call me Charlotte Gordon, who is returning to us following her recovery from ACL surgery after being injured in the U20 World Cup, last season. For those of you who aren't aware, Charlie was one of our top scorers and players prior to her injury and we're excited to have her scoring touch back in our lineup." 

Michelle continues to talk about stuff for what seems like forever until they are dismissed until the following morning.

"Did she always talk that much before, Ash?" 

Ashley laughs, "Yep, you were just always so focused on Mal that you didn't realize it." 

Charlotte smiles thinking about her girlfriend and wondering what she is currently doing. 

"You want to head back to our room for a bit until supper time?" 

"For sure, you can catch me up on all the latest gossip and tell me about your roommate." 

"You know everything there is to know about Jeffrey." 

"Jeffrey?" 

"It's a joke, someone assumed she was a guy based on her name and called her as such, so we call her Jeffrey now rather than Jessie." 

"Oh, okay, I guess that makes sense." 

Charlotte and Ashley play catch up for a bit before heading out to get some supper at one of Charlotte and Mal's favourite places. 

"It's nice to room with someone who knows the area and where to get good food." 

"I can't take credit for finding this place, one of the girls on the Spirit introduced Mal to it." 

"How's that been for you, watching her play pro?" 

"I'm proud of her, she's worked hard to get where's she at and continues to bust her ass to stay there and as for me, it's not part of my plan to become a pro, at least until I'm done at Stanford so, for now, I'm quite content cheering my girl and her team on."

"Seriously though why can't I find someone like you to date me rather than the losers I keep hooking up with?"

Charlotte shrugs, "I'm not the best person to ask for dating advice." 

"Maybe not, but you're doing something right because from the looks and sounds of it you and Pugh are pretty solid." 

"Yeah, but I'm of the belief that every day provides you with the opportunity to learn more about yourself and your partner and the more you know, and the more you are willing to learn about each other the stronger the relationship. In other words, you need to be willing to first invest in order to reap the rewards."

"Are you sure you're only 19? Because you sound and act a lot older most of the time." 

"Our birthdays are like two weeks apart Ash, you know exactly how old I am and I'm pretty sure I picked up that bit from one of those day time shows that Mal watches. Speaking of Mal can we head back to the hotel now, I want to call her and check-in before bed."

The next day as Charlotte gets dressed in the familiar training wear of the US Soccer Federation, she takes a moment to look and smile at her reflection in the mirror, before grabbing her bag and following Ashley out to the team bus. 

She puts in her earbuds and cranks some tunes for the short drive to the University and she's completely oblivious to the fact that while she bobs around in her seat to the music, Ashley is Facetiming Mal and letting her watch and laugh at her antics. 

"Told you that she was okay, Mal." 

"Thanks, Ash. I wish I could be there to watch training today, but I have my own to get to." 

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. Does she have any idea that her family is making the trip to watch us play?"

"No, even her Grandparents are making the trip from Ottawa to see her play. I'm picking them up from the airport later today." 

"She's going to be thrilled." 

"I hope so, I know how hard everything has been on her and I can't wait to see her pull on a uniform and play again." 

"Oh, crap, we're here, gotta go Mal, message me if you need anything else." 

"Thanks, Ash."

Charlotte walks alongside the rest of the girls as they make their way out onto the field and can't stop smiling. 

"Let's go Charlie, warmups." 

"Yes, Coach." 

Charlotte goes through everything and although she is admittedly rusty from not having played for so long and is breathing a bit harder than she wants to admit, she feels as though she is floating on air and when the Michelle calls them in to end the scrimmage she doesn't want to leave the field. 

Back at the hotel after eating and completing recovery, she feels absolutely exhausted both physically and mentally and wants to talk to Mal about it but is aware that her girlfriend is busy with training and video sessions, so instead, she puts her head back and as a movie plays on the television drifts off until she wakes up by her alarm for supper and team bonding.

In the meantime not far away, Mal is waiting at Dulles International for Charlotte's Grandparent's flight from Ottawa to land. She smiles when she sees Grams and Papa and walks over to them, hugging both of them and then leading them out to her car. 

"Are you hungry? If so we can get you checked in at the hotel and then get something to eat; I haven't had supper yet, I was waiting to see if you would be hungry when you arrived." 

"I'm always up for food." Mal laughs at Charlotte's Grandfather and the similarities between him and her.

"Jim, I'm sure that Mal has more important things to be doing than chaperoning us old folks on a dinner date." 

"I actually would like nothing better than to spend the evening with the two of you Grams, you can tell me more about C.J. and all the trouble she used to get into when she was younger." 

After getting checked in they all head out for supper together. 

"Mal, can I ask you something, it's of a personal nature." 

"Umm, sure. What is it, Grams." 

"Is your apartment a one-bedroom or two?"

Mal clues in very quickly to what is being hinted at. "There is only one bedroom and yes, C.J. and I do share the bed; I'm sorry if that disappoints you, but we love each other and plan on spending our lives together and ..." 

"Mallory, dear, it's okay, we understand. We know how much the two of you love each other and the fact that you didn't lie to us about your living arrangements is indicative that you also respect our family and honesty." 

"Yes, ma'am, I do."

"Good, now tell us about your team, the Spirit, right?"

Mal smiles and nods, "Yes, I never thought to ask if you might like to come to my game on Sunday or if that would be too much soccer for your liking." 

"Our flight home isn't until Monday, we would love to be able to see both of you play as I'm sure Carol and Mackenzie will as well." 

"Okay, I'll have them set aside some tickets for all of you at the box office."

Mal's phone buzzes and she sees that it's Charlotte and indicates to her Grandparents who it is so they are quiet as she answers. 

"Hey, Babe how was practice?" 

"Good, I'm tired, didn't realize how out of shape I really am. Where are you? It's kinda noisy." 

"Out, I'm meeting a couple of the girls for supper at a restaurant. " 

"Oh, I'm sorry, didn't mean to interrupt anything." 

"You aren't, I'll call you later when I get home, okay? Love you." 

"Love you, too. Bye Mally." 

Mal smiles as she hears her girlfriend call her by her nickname.

They eat and continue chatting for a bit before Mal drives them back to the hotel.

"Okay, so Carol has a rental car that they are picking up at the airport when they arrive tomorrow, but if you guys need anything else while you're here, feel free to call me. The hotel has breakfast in the lobby or there is a place a block away that is pretty good." 

They all hug and Mal watches as they make their way inside the hotel, before making the drive back to the apartment. 

She gets changed and completes her nighttime routine before climbing in bed and Facetiming Charlotte. 

She is met by the face of the goalkeeper, Casey Murphy answering the phone instead of her girlfriend. 

"Umm, hey Casey, where's C.J.? and why do you have her phone?" 

"Team bonding in her and Ash' room. Charlie went to get some ice, should be back in a few. How are things with you?" 

"Good, Casey, how did C.J. look today?" 

"A little off, but still pretty good for someone who hasn't played organized ball for awhile. She's still got fire behind her shot and was keeping pace with the rest of us." 

"I'm sure she wasn't happy with just keeping pace, she's stubborn and needs to be at the top." 

"Don't tell her I told you this, but she got sent to the sidelines a couple of times to chill out; the trainers were afraid she was trying to do too much, so maybe have a chat with her about it, okay?" 

"Thanks, I will."

"She's back, I'll pass you over, bye Mal." 

"Bye Case." 

Charlotte's face comes into the frame. 

"Hey." 

"Hey, yourself, I hear you played well today in training." 

"I guess so, I just want to do more, you know." 

"Babe, can you step out in the hallway for a minute?" 

Mal watches as she grabs a key card and slips her shoes back on before walking out in the hallway. 

"What did Casey tell you?" 

"Don't be upset with her, she only mentioned about you being sent to the sidelines because she cares and doesn't want to see you get hurt. Now, are you going to make me get redressed and drive all the way to your hotel to smack you upside the head and yell at you or are you going to just listen when I say you need to have patience with your body and yourself; I'm fairly certain you've referenced the whole Rome wasn't built in a day thing with me before, so how about you focus on laying the first stones towards you taking the Stanford faithful on a ride this year." 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Thanks, Mally, I get it; it's hard though." 

"I understand." Mal lets out a yawn, "C.J. I love you and would love to keep talking right now, but I have early recovery and I'm exhausted." 

"Love you, too, baby. Sleep well beautiful, we'll talk tomorrow." 

They hang up and Mal plugs in her phone before passing out and after curfew comes and team bonding is over with Charlotte curls up and is asleep very soon after her head hits the pillow. 


	32. Chapter 32

Mal walks into George Mason Stadium a few hours before game time and meets up with Charlotte in order to calm her down and also hug her girlfriend because it's been way too long since she's felt her arms around her. 

After Mal is allowed in by security, she finds her way to the changeroom and has Charlotte called out. Charlotte comes out of the room and walks right into her arms. 

"How are you feeling?" 

"Nervous." 

"Don't be everything will be okay, I promise." 

"I'm starting today but, they said I may only play the first half." 

"Then you've got 45 minutes to remind everyone what you are capable of doing out there." 

"I plan on." 

"Good, now kiss me." 

"Yes, Captain, Mally." Charlotte leans in and they share a kiss before Mal heads back out to let Charlotte finish getting ready for the game. 

As Charlotte put her earbuds back in and listens to tunes while getting ready, Mal is in regular contact with Mackenzie in order to ensure that her family is looked after and in place to surprise her. 

"Thank you for looking after everyone and everything, Mal. I know that your schedule is pretty busy these days and the last thing you really needed to be stuck with was organizing flights and hotels for us." 

"It was my pleasure and I got some good ammunition to use against C.J. should it ever be needed." 

"Did they tell you about her getting caught shoplifting when she was younger?" 

"Wait, what? C.J. shoplifted?"

Mackenzie laughs and nods, "She stole a pack of gum, or should I say tried to steal it." 

"What happened?" 

"The security guy saw her put the pack in her pocket and stopped us once we were outside of the store. He escorted us back in and led us to an office where he proceeded to give her a lecture about stealing and how he could call the cops on her if he wanted to but chose not to. My Mom paid for the gum, and we left." 

"Is that why C.J. doesn't like gum?" 

"It's possible. What about you Mal any deep, dark secrets you want to share with me?" 

"Not right now, no. Maybe another time when I don't have my girlfriend's entire family within hearing distance." 

"I'll hold you to that." 

Mal smiles, "I'm sure you will." 

As it gets closer to game time, Mal starts to get recognized by some of the fans and spends a bit of time taking pictures and signing autographs before returning to her seat. 

Once the teams head out for their warmups, Ash gets Charlotte's attention and directs her to look behind the bench where her family is sitting. 

Charlotte smiles wide and mouths the words, "I love you" to Mal as she forms a heart with her hands towards them and then heads to the field for warmups. 

"Did you know about this, Ash?" 

"Yep and Mal told me someone named Finn will be at the game on Saturday. Who's that?" 

"Finn is my best friend." 

"I thought that I was your best friend?" 

"Fine, Finn is my best guy friend, you are my best friend who is a girl, better?" 

"Yep, now let's get ready to school these Germans." 

Charlotte and Ashley fist bump before finishing warmups and then making their way back inside to get changes into their game wear. 

"How are you doing over there #7?" Charlotte smiles at Ash, "Doing awesome, how about you, Captain?" Ash gives her a thumbs-up as Michelle finishes her pregame spiel. 

As they make the walkout for the game, Charlotte fights the butterflies in her stomach, taking some deep breaths and leaning on her teammates around her for reassurance.

After the pregame stuff is taken care of she takes her place on the front line and as the whistle blows, nothing else matters except the game. 

The teams are evenly matched and it shows as they go back and forth, each securing chances on goal but unable to capitalize on any for the first 35 minutes of the game. The US comes the closest to opening the score when a shot from Ashley just gets directed wide of the frame. 

Then in the 36th minute, Ashley gets possession of the ball off a turnover in the German end and draws two German defenders to the edge of the box with her, allowing Charlotte to slip through unmarked and connect on the pass, sending a hard shot beyond the diving keepers reach and into the bottom corner of the goal, to put them on top 1 - 0. 

Mal and her family go nuts in the stands yelling and screaming for her as her teammates run over and jump all over her in celebration. 

"Nice goal, Gordon." 

"Nice pass, Sanchez." 

As the referee blows her whistle to end the half, Charlotte can't help but be disappointed by the fact that her game is done. 

Michelle French walks over and wraps her arm over her shoulder, "Nice goal, how would you feel about playing a 60 rather than 45?" 

"Really?" 

"Yeah, your numbers are good, so the trainers feel comfortable leaving you in a bit longer." 

"Awesome!" 

"Get some fluids in you." 

"Yes, Coach." 

The second half begins and Mal is surprised to see her girlfriend back out on the field for the starting whistle; but, it makes her happy to know that C.J. is going to be out there a bit longer and can hopefully find the netting once again. 

Charlotte comes close to adding her second goal of the evening only to have the play called back for being offside in the 59th minute of the game. 

In the 61st minute, she sees her number come up in red and jogs over to the sidelines, hugging her sub before taking a water bottle and having a long drink. She makes her way over to the bench and gets congratulated by her teammates as she sits down and then watches the remainder of the game. 

As the final whistle blows the United States wins the first game of the two-game series 1 - 0 against the team from Germany on the back of Charlotte's goal and an outstanding game between the posts by Casey. 

After the game, Charlotte runs over to the stands and celebrates with her family, hugging them all and stopping at Mal, "Thank you for believing in me."

"You're welcome, nice goal superstar." 

"Ash did all the work." 

Mal smiles and nods in agreement.

"You guys are staying here, right? So we can catch up after?"

"Charlotte, we're all here until Monday and according to Papa we're all going to a Spirit game on Sunday together." 

Charlotte smiles, "I need to do post-game, but can we all grab lunch tomorrow?" 

"Go and shower, you stink C.J.!" 

Charlotte looks at her sister and smiles, "Love you too, Kenz."

Mackenzie smiles as her younger sister jogs away. 

Charlotte heads back to the team to finish out post-game before getting changed and then heading back to the hotel to shower and eat. As she sits surrounded by her teammates laughing and having fun in the meal room, she can't help but join in on the fun and discussion. 

"Have any of you read the book, The Known?"

Most of the girls shake their heads, but Charlotte decides to go along with it and see what happens. "I have. What did you think of it, Jordan?" 

"It's not usually the type of book that I go for, and I kind of bought it on a whim because of the buzz around it; but wow, it's really good. I'm going to see if I can find the next book in the series when I get back to Texas. What did you think of it, Charlie?"

"I really enjoyed it, I have the second book at home; if you want I can ask Mal to bring it when we meet up for lunch tomorrow and you can read it." 

"Are you sure? That would be awesome! Thanks, Charlie." 

"No problem." 

Ashley takes a seat beside Charlotte, "What are we talking about?" 

"Books, not something you would know about, Ash." 

"Hey, be nice or I'll tell Coach to bench your ass next game." 

"I could never be nice to a Bruin and my ass scored our only goal today." 

Ashley laughs and shakes her head, "It's good to have you back, Charlie; and your ass wouldn't have scored that goal without me setting you up." 

"True, props it was a pretty sick play and pass. To answer your question we were talking about a book by J.C. Glass called The Known ." 

"I've actually read that! Jeffrey had it and I borrowed it to read on one of our road trips. We actually were talking on the bus about how no one knows who really wrote the books, it's like all top secret and stuff."

"Top secret, huh? You think it was someone from the government who wrote them?" 

"Nah, I don't think so because I'm sure the government would have stopped them from being printed if that was the case." 

Charlotte laughs, "I guess that could happen. So, who do you think wrote it?" 

"Probably some middle-aged baldy who lives in a basement somewhere." 

"So you think it's a guy who wrote them?" 

Ashley and several of the girls nod. "Let me guess, you think it's a girl?" 

Charlotte nods, "I do because honestly what guy would include a love story as part of a futuristic sci-fi book?"

"Maybe he's gay." 

Charlotte laughs, "Maybe." 

Charlotte's phone buzzes and she smiles as she sees Mal's name come across the screen, she excuses herself before answering it. 

"Hey." 

"Hey yourself, you played really well today." 

"My timing is still off."

"It'll come back with more practice and gameplay."

"Hope so. So, I'm going to assume you had supper with my family." 

"I did and wow, C.J. I never knew how much of a wild child you were." 

"What? Oh no, what did Papa tell you?" 

"Just about you being the Science Fair champion for three years straight and your exploding volcano." 

"Oh, okay, so nothing bad then." 

"Well, I did find out that someone was nabbed for shoplifting when they were younger." 

"Remind me to have Kenz's portion of the money from the books cancelled." 

Mal laughs, "So, how's your evening going?" 

"Good, I forgot how nice it was to sit down and eat together as a team. We were actually talking about The Known when you called." 

"And?" 

"Ash thinks it's written by a middle-aged gay baldy who lives in a basement. I'm really not sure how I should take that." 

Mal starts laughing, "I'm not sure either, Babe. Are you thinking about telling her the truth?" 

"No, it's not necessary that she knows." 

"Are you alone right now?" 

Charlotte laughs, "Yeah, I'm in my room all alone, what are you thinking?" 

"I'm thinking that I'm laying in our bed naked and I miss your touch." 

"Switch to Facetime?" 

"Uh-huh."

Charlotte quickly strips out of her clothing and she and Mal talk their way through touching and making themselves come. 

Laying there afterwards, Mal fights to keep her eyes open. 

"Baby, prop your phone I want to watch you sleep." 

Mal grabs a book and leans her phone against it and smiles at Charlotte as she puts her head down. "Love you, Mally." 

"Love you too, C.J." 

Once she is certain that Mal is asleep, Charlotte puts some clothes on and heads into the bathroom to complete her nighttime routine before curling back up with her phone on the pillow beside her. 

The next morning, as Mal gets in an early training session, C.J. completes her recovery with the team before heading back to the room, showering, getting dressed and then waiting for Mal to let her know she is on her way. 

When there is a knock on the door, Charlotte opens it and pulls Mal inside before backing her up into it and kissing her with everything in her. 

They separate each breathing heavy and smiling, "We could always just go straight to dessert." 

Mal laughs, "It's your family, C.J. I'm fairly certain that they would come looking for us." 

"Damn it! Okay, then let's go." 

They hold hands as they make their way out to the car and once inside share another short kiss. 

"You're in a good mood today." 

"I have the most beautiful woman in the world beside me and I scored a goal in my first game back, yeah I'm in a good mood." 

"I'm slatted to play the full 90 against the Dash on Sunday." 

"Awesome, congrats, Babe." 

"What about you, have they told you yet what the plan is for the next game?" 

"Not yet, Michelle wanted to review the footage of the game and my numbers before deciding, but she led me to believe that if it's all good I could play the entire match." 

"Are you ready for that?" 

"I believe so, it felt incredible to be back out there Mal." 

"You actually looked faster out there than I remember you being."

"Yeah, I think all the extra training helped me to pick up a step or two along the way." 

They spend the remainder of the day with Charlotte's family, eating, laughing and then checking out the leading points of interest in the city according to Charlotte. 

As Charlotte and her Papa continue to talk and point to stuff, the remainder of the group walks slightly behind. "Hey Mal, perhaps next time we should let the brainiacs over there do their own thing while we do some shopping and exploring of our own." Mal smiles and nods along in agreement with what Mackenzie says. 

"I sometimes forget about C.J.'s need to know about everything although the books all over the apartment should remind me." 

"She still amassing a collection?" 

"Yep, I think we might need to move into a two-bedroom soon to accommodate everything." 

Mackenzie looks over towards Grams as Mal mentions the current living situation, "They know, Kenz." 

After returning Grams and Papa to the hotel, Mal and Charlotte make the drive to her own hotel to spend some time together before curfew. 

Laying on the bed, they are snuggled together and sharing a few kisses as they completely tune out the movie playing on the television. 

The door opens and Ashley comes in and looks at them, "Aww, so cute! Now, get the hell out Pugh." 

They laugh before getting up and sharing one last hug and kiss as Mal makes her exit for the night. "Sweet dreams, Mally, love you." 

Mal looks at her, "To the moon and back, C.J."

Charlotte looks at her stunned, "How?" 

"Kenz told me about your necklace and the meaning of it." 

"She shouldn't have." 

"No, you should have, but I understand why you couldn't; and now I'm telling you, Charlotte Jennifer Gordon that I love you to the moon and back and I'm not going anywhere." 

"Yeah, you are, because it's almost curfew." 

"Ash!" 

They smile and hug each other before sharing a quick peck and Mal finally heading out.


	33. Chapter 33

The next morning Charlotte and Ashley head down for their team breakfast and then video session afterwards in advance of the game later on that evening. 

Watching the replays on the screen and seeing their lapses from the first game highlighted doesn't really help their egos but it does help to identify areas in need of improvement for the next match, mainly their defensive marking and coverage. 

Charlotte's goal comes up on the screen and they play it through then back it back up and break it down step by step. 

"Ladies watch how Ash draws the German defenders to her while Charlie slips coverage and makes herself available for the pass and shot on goal. This is what we like to see, the awareness of each other's movements and subsequent response leading to a goal, keep communicating out there and good things will happen."

Michelle continues to go through different plays and breaking them down, Charlotte sees a replay of herself turning over the ball and cringes with the realization that it ultimately led to a German shot on goal. She makes a mental note not to let that happen again, she gave up too soon on the play. 

They are dismissed and most of the players opt to head back to their rooms for a nap or to relax for a bit before they have something more to eat. 

Charlotte leads Ashley out of the hotel to an awaiting car, "In the back Sanchez." 

Ashley looks at her and sees smiling so she does as Charlotte says. "What's happening? Where are we going?" 

"I'm breaking you out; Finn is taking us back to my apartment to hang out for a bit, Mal should be home soon from training and I thought it would be good to hang with my besties." 

Ashley gets out of the car when they park, "So, you're the famous Finn, that Charlie is always talking about huh?" 

Finn laughs, "She talks about me?" 

"Yep, how her friend Finn is some sort of computer genius at Duke."

"I wouldn't say I'm exactly a genius but I guess I'm pretty good with them." 

"So, Finn, how exactly have you managed to put up with Charlie for all these years?" 

"When we were younger there was a group of bullies at our school who weren't very nice to either of us, we bonded over our tears and have had each other's back ever since. Charlie is my best friend and I would do anything for her, except maybe anything illegal because well, look at me I'm too hot to be behind bars." 

Ashley laughs, "I see you have the same inflated opinion of yourself as Charlie does." 

Charlotte turns back, "Are the two of you done with the measuring act?" 

Finn laughs, "Yeah, you're right Charlie, she definitely is bigger than me." 

Charlotte lets them in the apartment and they grab seats and chat and once Mal gets home, she joins them. 

After a few hours and grabbing a small bite to eat, Finn drives Charlotte and Ashley back to the hotel so they can rest for a bit before game time. 

Laying on their beds in the hotel, they make sure the alarm is set before allowing themselves to close their eyes and drift off for a short time. 

Once the alarm goes off they each go about completing the process of getting dressed and packing their bags for the game before making their way down to the lobby and then climbing aboard the bus for the trip to the stadium. 

"So, what did you think of Finn?" 

"I like him, I can totally understand why the two of you are friends; you're both nerdy, but cute at the same time." 

"Ahh, you think Finn is cute." 

Ashley laughs, "It's too bad that he's a guy." 

"Yeah, there's that, but I choose not to hold it against him."

As game time nears, the players go about completing their pregame routines before the Coaches come in with their instructions. Charlotte was already told following their meeting in the morning that she was going to play the full 90, and she listens in more intently than usual as she wants to make the best possible impression today in order to secure an invite to their next friendlies against Japan in August. 

After the warmups are complete they make their way back inside to get changed into their game kits and Charlotte takes a moment to admire the crest on the blue shirt before pulling it on. She then heads over to the mirror to ensure that her hair is still secure before adjusting her socks, shinguards and making sure her laces are still nice and tight. 

They line up and then make their way back out alongside the competition, Charlotte looks up and smiles seeing her family cheering them on as they walk onto the field. 

With the usual pre-game ceremonies complete the teams take their places on the field and await the opening whistle. 

The US starts out playing sloppy in their own end and the Germans seize the opportunity to get the first marker of the game a mere 5 minutes in. 

It serves as the motivation for the Americans to get their heads and hearts in the game and in the 20th minute they tie the game up as Ashley out jumps and then knocks in a header off a corner. 

The US takes over and dominates possession for the balance of the first half and in the 42nd minute, the whistle is blown and the referee points to the spot after Charlotte is taken down in the box. 

She steps back to allow her Captain to take the shot, but Ashley tells her to take it. Charlotte takes the ball from the referee and places it down, visualizing where she is going with the shot before backing up and waiting for the whistle to sound out. She takes a few deep breaths and once she hears the shrill sound, runs forward and strikes the ball hard towards the bottom corner; the ball dings off the post and comes to rest in the netting behind the keeper who went in the opposite direction. 

Charlotte hears the small crowd cheer out as she is circled by her teammates in celebration. She jogs back to the midpoint of the field with a grin on her face and smiles in the direction of the stands. 

The referee blows the whistle to end the first half and the teams make their way over to the sidelines and then change rooms to get fluids and instructions before making their way back out for the second half. 

"How are you feeling Charlie?" 

Charlotte looks at her Coach, "Like I'm ready to score another goal." 

The Coach smiles and nods, "Then let's see you show that girlfriend of yours how it's done." 

Charlotte looks at her and nods before jogging back out on the field. She stops at Ashley, "Hey, so there's a cute girl in the stands that I kinda wanna impress, do you think you could help me with that?" 

Ashley laughs, "Does she by chance have a cute friend for me?" 

"I could always ask when I get her number after the game."

"Her number's 11, now get your head out of the gutter and into the game." 

Charlotte laughs, "Let's do it!" 

In the 57th minute, Charlotte is able to chip the German keeper who came out to challenge and secures her second goal of the game. 

Then in the 71st minute, she comes close to netting her third of the match only to grit her teeth when the familiar sound of the ball hitting the crossbar sounds out. 

As the final whistle sounds out Ashley is taken down by a cheap tackle by one of the German players and Charlotte seeing her friend grabbing at her knee has flashbacks of what happened to her. She sees red and pushes the German player down, yelling at her and setting off a pushing and shoving match between some of the players until the referee gets between them. She is sent off the field and heads to the changeroom by herself. 

She sits in her stall and holds her head fighting back the tears as her teammates begin to flood the room. The trainers come in helping Ashley and Charlotte gets up to follow them into the next room but is stopped on her way over.

"Congratulations, you earned yourself a red card for your temper tantrum out there; Charlie, what the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry Coach, I guess I just lost it when I saw Ash go down." 

"She's okay, Charlie, the trainers don't think it's anything serious. I understand why you would be frustrated by what happened but you can't ever respond like you did out there unless you want your career with US Soccer to be over before it even starts out." 

"I know, and I'm really sorry, it won't happen again, I promise." 

"It better not, now, hit the showers; we'll recap back at the hotel." 

"Yes, Coach." 

Charlotte grabs what she needs for a shower and then after towelling off gets herself redressed, packs her stuff up and heads to the bus and puts her earbuds in.

New Message

Mally: Call me when you get back to the hotel. Love you. 

She reads the message but decides not to send a response and just call her when she is back at the hotel. 

As the players climb aboard the bus, Charlotte watches as Ash is helped on with an ice pack strapped to her knee and crutches. She makes her way back to sit beside Charlotte and pulls her earbud out, "While I appreciate what you did today and admit it was pretty freaken hot watching you yell at her, don't ever do it again; understood?" 

Charlotte nods, "You okay?" 

"Yeah, just a sprain."

"I'm glad you're going to be okay, Ash." 

"I'll just need to take it easy for a couple of weeks. Hey, Charlie, do you think that you can help me in the shower when we get back to the hotel?" 

"I'm not sure that Mal will approve of me sharing a shower with you." 

"I'm not asking you to wash me, just be there to help me in and out." 

"Alright, I guess I can do that for you." 

"Thanks. Have you talked to your girlfriend yet?" 

Charlotte shakes her head, "I'm going to call her when we get back to the hotel; I'm sure she'll be giving me shit for losing my temper." 

"I wouldn't be so sure, you did play really well today and scored two goals along with adding an assist on my goal, so perhaps she wants to congratulate you on that and then give you shit." 

"I'm disappointed that I reacted like that with my Grandparents in attendance though." 

"They've known you all your life, I'm fairly certain they've seen you lose your temper before." 

"Yeah, they have. You gonna need help to get off the bus?" 

"Can you carry my bag for me, once I get down the steps I can crutch the remainder of the way, but it's easier without having to balance a bag as well." 

"No prob, I can do that." 

After sitting down to have something to eat as a team and having a short debriefing the players head out to do their own thing for the remainder of the evening. 

Charlotte helps Ashley in and out of the shower and gets her situated in bed with her knee supported. 

There is a knock at the door and she walks over to open it, finding Mal standing there with a bag in her hand. Charlotte's eyes go big, "Is that?" 

Mal smiles, "Yep, ice cream; I figured you could use some right now." 

Charlotte leans in and kisses her, "Thank you, come on in, I'm just getting Sanchez set up for the night." 

"Hey, Pugh, did you bring me any?" 

Mal laughs, "Yep, chocolate." 

They all lay on the beds and eat their containers while watching a movie on the television. 

Mal sets her head on Charlotte's chest and snuggles into her, "We still need to talk about your game today, but I think right now it can wait."

Charlotte kisses the top of her head, "Are you staying here tonight?" 

"If it's okay with you, I don't sleep very well when you aren't with me and I want to have a good game tomorrow." 

"Ash, is it okay if Mal stays with us?"

"As long as I don't see or hear anything." 

"Give it a rest, we all know that you dream of joining us." 

Mal smacks her chest, "Oww, it's true Mally, she says it all the time." 

Ashley looks over and gives Charlotte a smile while Mal faces away from her. 

Charlotte's response is to lift Mal's head up towards her and give her a long, hard kiss that leaves them both breathless. 

Ashley throws one of the pillows at them, "You guys both suck!" 

Mal and Charlotte both laugh, "You're right about that." 

A little later, they all get changed into sleeping clothes before curling up for the night. 

The following morning Mal heads back to the apartment to go through her regular game day routine as Charlotte heads to breakfast with Ash and the rest of her U20 teammates. 

"Saw Mal sneaking out of here earlier." 

"She wasn't sneaking out, Case, she was heading home, so her game-day routine wasn't changed." 

"You know that the Spirit offered to host us for the game tonight, right?"

"Yeah, but most of the girls are flying out later today." 

"There are a few of us who are sticking around until tomorrow and plan on going to support the teams. Ash, you sticking around or heading home?" 

"I got a couch you can crash on if need be, Ash." 

"While I appreciate the offer, I think that I'm going to head out this evening as planned and don't you have some family and friends that you should be spending time with today rather than us?" 

"Well, yeah, but are you going to be okay carrying everything and getting around?" 

"I'll be fine, there are enough girls headed back to Cali that I'm sure at least one of them will take pity on me and help me out."

"Alright, then I guess after our meeting I'm packing up and blowing this popsicle stand. Honestly, I'll be glad to be back in my own bed tonight." 

"Don't think I didn't hear you and Mal trying to be quiet last night; you weren't quiet! And I'm sure you just want to be able to finish what you started last night."

"Oh, but we did finish what we started last night. We were intentionally being noisy and trust me we know how to be quiet when necessary, especially when Mal's Dad is just across the hallway."

Casey laughs and shakes her head at the pair as she walks away to join up with a couple of the other girls. 

"Hey Charlie, I haven't finished the book yet; can I keep it and bring it back to you at the next camp? or do you want me to get it for you now?" 

"It's all good, Jordan, I'll get it from you later."

"Cool, thanks, it's so good!" 

Charlotte smiles and nods in agreement with her. 

They head in for the last official meeting with the coaching staff and listen to all that is said before saying their goodbyes. 

Charlotte heads back up to the room and finishes packing up before sitting on the end of the bed. 

"S'up, Charlie?" 

"Just thinking about how good it felt to be back on the field as part of a team this week and how I'm going to be working harder with my trainer and personal coach to ensure that when I report to Stanford, I'll be in the best shape of my life." 

"Then I guess I need to up my game as well." 

"Yep." Charlotte stands up and hugs Ashley, "Message me when you get home, okay?" 

"I will. Now, go have fun with your girl and family and we'll talk soon." 

"Bye, Ash." 

"Later, Charlie." 

Charlotte heads out of the room and drops her keycard off at the table along with signing the form to indicate she's left the premises. 

She waits outside for Finn to come and pick her up and they head back to the hotel and she spends the time with her family until it's time to head to Mal's game. She pulls on one of Mal's Spirit jackets as they make the drive over to the Maryland SoccerPlex. 

The Spirit line up against the Houston Dash and Mal starts upfront with Kristie Mewis.

3 minutes into the game and Cheyna Matthews gives the Spirit the early lead after a misplay by Dash keeper Lydia Williams. 

The rest of the half is fairly ordinary with both teams sharing opportunities but being unable to convert on them. 

In the 61st minute, Charlotte and her family watch on as Mal gets the ball and sends an off-balance shot on goal and past Williams to put the Spirit up by two and give Mal her first goal in the NWSL.

Charlotte stands and cheers her girl on as she is surrounded by her teammates before they all make the move back to restart the game. 

The game finishes and the Spirit come away with the victory. Mal comes over and her and Charlotte hug and Charlotte gives her a kiss in the cheek, "Nice goal, Baby. We should celebrate it later." 

Mal smiles, "Definitely. I have to do post-game stuff, but I'll see you at home, Babe." 

Mal proceeds to hug everyone before heading off to do her thing. Charlotte and her family head back to the hotel, have supper together and then as it gets later, her Grandparents head up to bed as does her Mom. 

Charlotte, Finn and Mackenzie sit in Mackenzie's room and chat about different things including the recent book sales and overall numbers. 

Charlotte gets a message from Mal asking when she is coming home because she wants to celebrate. 

"Umm, I'm just going to get an Uber home, Mal wants me home, now." 

"In other words, you are ditching us to get laid." 

"Pretty much, love you both; but, I gots to go!" 

They all hug each other and Charlotte makes her way home and is met by the sight of Mal sound asleep on the couch as she sets her suitcase and bag down. 

She walks over and kisses her girlfriend on the forehead, "Wake up Baby." 

"Don't want too." 

Charlotte laughs, "I don't think I can carry you to bed." 

"Try?" 

"Not tonight, I don't want either of us getting hurt. I'm getting undressed now, your choice if you want to join me in the nice warm bed or stay out here all alone." 

"Meanie."

"Yeah, but you love this meanie."

"Maybe." 

Charlotte heads in and gets undressed before completing her nighttime routine, returning to the bedroom she finds Mal already under the covers.

"Now, about that celebrating." 

"Can we celebrate later, C.J.? I just want to fall asleep wrapped in your arms tonight." 

"That we can do; Night Mally, love you." 

"Love you." 

Charlotte pulls Mal in close and wraps her arm around her before closing her eyes and falling asleep with a smile on her face. 


	34. Chapter 34

Charlotte watches Mal pace around their apartment as she awaits the older sister of the woman she loves to finish up in the bathroom so that she can get ready for training.

"Kenz, if you're not out of there in two minutes I'm drinking your coffee!" Charlotte yells out.

Mal laughs at her girlfriend's threat, "Will that actually work on her?" 

"Probably not, but I know you need to get ready for training and she's taking way too long in the shower." 

They hear the shower turn off and Mackenzie walks out of the bathroom wrapped in towels. 

"About friggin time! What part of make it quick, Mal's got training did you not understand?" 

"Sorry, your couch gave me a kink in my neck and the hot water was helping it." 

"You could have just stayed in a hotel like a normal person." 

"No way, I wasn't missing out on spending time with my baby sister and her girlfriend."

"In other words, you're cheap and didn't want to shell out for a room." Charlotte smiles at her sister as Mackenzie nods and laughs while Mal heads inside the bathroom and then the bedroom. 

Mackenzie bends down and pulls out clothes from her bag, before starting to get dressed. "Kenz, cover-up!" 

"Give me a break, C.J., it's not like you haven't seen it before." 

"Yeah, but perhaps I'd like to save Mal from being blinded by the sight of your snow-white ass!"

Mal comes out of the bedroom dressed and ready to go to training and watches and listens to the interactions between the sisters before interrupting them. 

"Are the two of you going to be good, if I leave now?" Mal looks at both of them with a raised eyebrow.

They both start laughing and Charlotte makes her way over to Mal kissing her and then hugging her, "We'll be fine; have fun at training. Love you."

"Love you too and play nice!"

"Maybe we will, maybe we won't." 

Mal collects her bag and heads off to training laughing at the sister's antics.

The Gordon sisters sit down with their breakfast and chat about their relationships, family, friends and finally the books. 

"I take it that Mal doesn't know why I'm really in town."

Charlotte shakes her head, "Nope, she just figures that you're here to visit and drive us both loco. She doesn't ask about the money from the books or what I do with it and I would prefer to remain as the anonymous benefactor who provided local schools with tickets to the remaining Spirit home games to dispense to students."

"So, when are you proposing?" 

Charlotte laughs and shakes her head, "Not, you too, Kenz; it was enough dealing with Grams and Papa asking me while they were here." 

Mackenzie laughs, "Yeah, your relationship was the topic of most of our conversations." 

"Mal and I have talked about it many times and we've come to an agreement that neither one of us is allowed to propose until we've been together for at least two years. So, sorry to disappoint you but I'm not proposing until next year, which doesn't mean, however, that I haven't been already looking at rings."

"I knew it!" 

"I have a big problem though, Kenz." 

"What's that?" 

"All of the rings that I've been looking at will draw attention and people will question how either of us can afford them and that will lead to more questions that I'm not ready to provide answers for." 

"I never thought about that, it must really suck knowing that over 5 million copies of your books have been sold in the past 6 months alone and you can't flaunt it in anyone's face without drawing attention." 

"Not helping, Kenz. What should I do?" 

"Easy, buy two rings; one jaw-dropper to propose with and another that Mal will be able to wear out without drawing a ton of attention to her or the two of you."

"I like that idea a lot, thanks Kenz."

"No problem. So, when are you heading back to Cali?" 

"I have a month left here before I need to report back to Stanford for testing, training and pre-season." 

"You concerned at all about your knee?" 

Charlotte shakes her head, "Not in the least, I've been working hard with my trainer and personal coach and getting lots of extra touches in with Mal and her teammates; I'm good to go, I'm in better shape than I've ever been mentally and physically." 

Charlotte looks at her sister and notices that she's wiping her eyes, "You okay, Kenz?" 

"Yeah, I'm just having a proud sister moment. I love you C.J." 

"Love you too, Kenz. Now, after I get dressed how about we indulge in a bit of retail therapy?" 

"As long as you're buying." 

Charlotte shakes her head as she walks back to the bedroom to get ready to go out with her sister and presumably spend a good chunk of her bank account.

A few weeks later, Charlotte accompanies Mal and members of the USWNT as they fly to Seattle, Washington to get ready to play in the Tournament of Nations; a 4 team tournament involving teams from the US, Australia, Brazil and Japan. 

In their first match of the tournament, the US draws up against Australia and in front of the crowd of over 15, 000 fans at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, are stunned with a 1 - 0 loss at the hands of the Matildas on a 67th-minute goal by Tameka Butt.

They head on to San Diego, California, three days later for their second game of the tournament against Brazil. Coming away with a 4 -3 victory on the back of goals in the 80th minute by Christen Press, 85th minute by Megan Rapinoe and then in the 89th minute Julie Ertz. 

Charlotte and Mal spend an off day in California hanging out and enjoying the beach and water together before they head up to Carson for the US' final match of the tournament. 

"You know I'm totally okay with staying in Cali if it means I get to see you wearing a bikini every day, Mally."

Mal leans over and kisses her, "It's really too bad there are so many people around or I'd show you what seeing you in a bikini does to me." 

"We do have towels to cover ourselves, Mal." 

"Yeah, and unfortunately there are a million phones and cameras around to catch us if we slip up, how about we head back to your hotel room?" 

"You have a game tomorrow, Mal." 

Mal looks at her, "I'll be fine; now let's go before we do something stupid here."

With the hotel door closed and locked behind them, they quickly remove the small amount of clothing they are still wearing before making their way over to the bed. 

Charlotte takes her time kissing and making love to every part of Mal's body much to her girlfriend's disapproval.

"Baby, please."

Charlotte moves up and kisses her while allowing her hand to wander all over Mal's naked body. "Not yet, beautiful, relax and let me show you exactly how much I love you and your gorgeous body." 

She separates from Mal and begins once again placing kisses on her collarbone before moving down to swipe, lick and suck on her breasts. She knows that Mal wants more as she continues to try and move her hand downward, but Charlotte laughs and moves it away. She kisses down her stomach and takes the time to appreciate her defined midsection before following the v-line and ghosting over Mal's extremely wet core. She inhales the smell of her girlfriend before kissing down her leg and suckling on her toe, drawing out moans from a very frustrated Mal, "I hate you." 

"No, you don't." Charlotte moves over to her other side and slowly makes her way up the other leg, placing kisses on the inside of her calf and thigh and moving upward until blows on Mal's throbbing core. "Oh my God, please, C.J.!" 

"Alright, Baby." She swipes her tongue over the nub before licking and sucking away and sliding her fingers inside, finding and rubbing the spot that soon makes Mal moan out loudly as a familiar feeling takes over and sends her reeling. As her body relaxes, Charlotte withdraws her fingers, licks and sucks away the fluids on them before cleaning up Mal's exposed area.

She lays down beside Mal and pulls the covers up on them before wrapping her arm over Mal and pulling her close as they both sleep for a little bit before getting cleaned up and going their separate ways. 

Returning to the team for supper, the smile on Mals' face is noticeable as she sits down beside Lindsey, Abby and Sam to eat. 

"Looks like someone enjoyed their day off, huh, Mal?" 

Mal blushes and she stares at her plate, causing the other players to laugh at her. 

"How's Charlie?" 

"She's good, she's meeting a friend for supper."

"Uh-huh."

They sit, chat and eat until Mal hears a voice yell across the room. 

"Hey Pugh, do you know where your girlfriend is?" Mal looks over at Jane. "Please tell me that I'm not going to have to bail her and Sanchez out?"

Jane laughs, "I was only going to tell you that they posted a pic together feeding each other ice cream." 

Mal laughs, "Of course they did; I swear C.J. would be happy to eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch and supper." 

"Umm, Mal people are commenting on the pic that they make a cute couple." 

Mal shrugs, "Let them."

"It doesn't bother you?" 

"Of course it does, but I trust my girlfriend." 

Charlotte reads the comments on the picture, "Oh crap, Ash, maybe we should take it down." 

"Why? It's just two friends having some fun with each other and I'm sure that Mal will see it as exactly that, so stop worrying about what everyone else thinks or is saying and let's get me some new kicks." 

Charlotte laughs, "Lead the way! I'm all about new kicks!" 

New Message

C.J.: I'm finally back at the hotel with Ash, heading to bed soon. Miss you.

Mally: Hopefully you were smart about how much you spent today. Miss you, too. 

C.J.: I was good, only bought some clothes and a new pair of cleats. 

Mally: Did you enjoy your ice cream?

C.J.: It was sooo good! I hope you don't mind the pic we posted, it was cute. 

Mally: You're cute, Ash not so much. 

C.J.: I'm going to tell her you said that.

Mally: Go right ahead. I'll see you tomorrow, Babe, XO. 

C.J.: Sweet dreams, Mally. XOXO.

Charlotte puts her phone on the nightstand and plugs it in.

"Ash, can you at least turn down the TV so I can sleep."

"The remote isn't working." 

"Then get up and press the button on the TV to do it." 

"There's a button on the TV?" 

"Oh my God, why did I think that letting you stay with me tonight was a good idea?" 

"Because you love me and didn't see the point of me driving back home only to meet you at the game tomorrow." Ashley continues to play with the remote until finally, the volumes starts to go down. "Got it!" 

"Thank you, night Ash." 

"Night, Charlie."

The next day Charlotte and Ashley spend the day hanging before making the drive to Carson to watch the US' final game of the tournament against Japan. 

As they take their seats inside the StubHub Center, they look around at the crowd of over 23,000 in attendance. 

"You think we'll ever get a chance to play in front of crowds like this, Charlie?" 

"You've already been called to camp, Ash, so I think there's a good chance of it happening for you again in the future. Me on the other hand, I have a lot to prove to the powers that be before I'll be worthy of a call-up."

"Charlie, you are probably the best player I have ever played with, there is no doubt in my mind that if you have a good season this year, you will get a look."

"Thanks, Ash. I hope you know, that I won't be holding back if or when we end up playing each other this year."

"I won't be either."

"Good." Charlotte smiles widely and nods. "I hope that Mal has a good game out there today; the team is so strong upfront that she needs to be at her best every time to keep her spot." 

"You do realize that in the future you and she could be competing for that spot up front, right?"

"As could you, Ash, but we all need to put our personal feelings aside and keep pushing for what we want." 

"That could be interesting if you and Mal end up getting married and going against each other." 

"There is no, if we get married, only when we get married. Game is starting." 

12 minutes into the game Megan Rapinoe gets the US on the board and they hold down the one-goal lead into the 60th minute when Mal makes it two. 

Charlotte and Ashley cheer with the large crowd and watch on as Mal and her teammates celebrate the goal down at field level. 

In the 80th minute of the game, Alex Morgan puts the final nail in the Japanese coffin and the United States goes on to win the game by a final score of 3 - 0 but they end up finishing second in the tournament to Australia who finishes up going undefeated in their three games. 

After spending a couple of days following the tournament enjoying the California sun, Charlotte and Mal head back to Washington, so that she can rejoin the Spirit in time for their next game against the Orlando Pride. 

With the Pride holding a 3 - 0 lead in the second half of play, the Spirit opts to sub out their young star and let her rest for what's sure to be a tight match coming up in a few days against the Breakers in Boston.

As Mal prepares to travel to Boston, Charlotte gets her stuff together to make a trip back home to Massena for a few days before heading back to Stanford for her Sophmore year. 

Mal and her stand in the airport holding each other, "Call me when you get in, okay?" 

"I will. I love you, Mal, and we'll see each other soon."

"I plan on being there when you make your Cardinal debut. Love you to the moon and back, C.J. now go and show everyone what you are capable of."

Charlotte wipes away the tears as she walks towards her gate and then boards her plane to Ogdensburg, New York.

After listening to the flight instructions, she puts in her earbuds, picks out a movie and watches it for the duration of the flight home. 

Walking into the main area of the airport, she sees her Mom and pulling her suitcase along with her, she hugs her. 

"Welcome home, Charlie." 

"Thanks, Mom. Can we stop for ice cream on the way home?" 

Carol Gordon smiles and laughs at her daughter, "I don't know if any place is still open, but we can try; if not I filled the freezer with your favourite." 

"Yes! Thank you, Mom!" 

Charlotte follows her Mom out to the car, throwing her suitcase in the trunk before climbing in the passenger side and putting on her seatbelt. 

4 days later, Charlotte finds herself back at the airport with her Mom, this time with a ticket to California in hand. 


	35. Chapter 35

Charlotte walks back to the dorm with Alana after having just completed a training session alongside her Cardinal teammates. 

"I'm exhausted, Lan!" Charlotte throws herself down on her bed once they reach their room. 

Alana looks at her, "I wonder why?"

"I couldn't help it, I had to show everyone that I'm 100% recovered and ready to go." 

"Yeah, but in the process your dumbass made the rest of us look bad, which led to us having to run extra laps." 

"I didn't know that would happen, do you think the girls are upset with me?" 

"Andi didn't look that impressed with you, you might consider buying the Captain a coffee or two, maybe even a dozen to make it up to her." 

"Crap, okay, I'll do that." 

"While you're at it, you can buy me a dozen coffees as well." Alana smiles at her. 

"I already buy your coffees, Lan." 

"Yep and you can keep doing it because it's the least you can do if I'm going to have to put up with you running circles around the rest of us all season." 

Charlotte laughs and shakes her head, "I'm sorry, it's just last season was torture watching from the sidelines and I have everything to prove this year, you know?" 

"I got ya, Charlie, but you need to tone it down because I'm not listening to you bitch and complain when you get hurt again, nor am I being the go-between for you and Mal. Now, go and shower because you're stinking the room up!" 

"You sure that you're not smelling yourself? Because your play was less than stellar today." Charlotte laughs, gets up off the bed and collects what she needs before heading out to take a shower. 

After heading out to get something to eat, Charlotte settles back in her room enjoying the quiet while Alana is out hanging with friends. 

New Message

C.J.: I miss you. Are you able to talk?

Her phones starts ringing and she smiles when she sees Mal's name run across the screen. 

"Hey, there beautiful." 

Mal laughs, "Hi, how was training?"

"Oh my God, it was so good! Although, I may have inadvertently made it so the remainder of the girls had to run extra laps."

"What did you do?"

"I guess all the extra training and conditioning I did showed off during the session as the coaches were disappointed with the overall energy of the session and made the team run more as a result."

Mal laughs, "Only you could alienate your teammates by outworking them. How did it feel being on the field in Cardinal colours? And how's your knee feel?" 

"So amazing! Lan gave me heck because I took a bunch of selfies on the way and in the changeroom and my knee feels great."

"Sounds about right, you're going to send me a couple, right?" 

"Of course, Babe. I just realized how late it is for you. Are you in bed?" 

"Yeah, and it's cold and lonely. I miss you, C.J." 

"I miss you, too, Mally. We'll see each other soon, you're still planning on making the trip to watch the game against Florida right?" 

"Yes, I already cleared it with the team for me to leave right after the game against Portland, so you better be playing!" 

"I wish that you could be there for the Marquette or Wisconsin games, but I know your schedule is tight for the next few weeks."

"Yeah, I don't want to cut this convo short because it's really good to hear your voice, but I should get some sleep, big game tomorrow." 

"Okay, I love you, Mal. Good luck against the Courage, sweet dreams." 

"Love you, night." 

"Night." 

Charlotte looks at the pictures on her phone and sends a couple to Mal before setting it down, grabbing the latest James Patterson book and her glasses and curling up to read for a bit. 

So engrossed in the book is she that she barely registers when Alana returns to the room. 

"You get new glasses?" 

"Yeah, Sanchez sat on my other ones and bent the frame, so I had to replace them." 

"Against my better judgement, I'm going to ask, how exactly did she sit on them?"

"It was an accident I left them out on the bed and we were kinda fooling around and well she jumped on my bed and landed on them. She felt really bad about it."

"I bet she did, so is it true about her and her teammate?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"I heard that she was pining for their keeper Micah." 

Charlotte laughs, "In Ash's words, her accent does weird things to her. But I'm not sure if she's got the balls to make a move on Teagan, I guess we'll see."

"How is Mal with you and Ashley's friendship?" 

"She's fine with it, why?" 

"Because it's never been a secret that Ash likes you a lot, so I'm just curious how Mal handles the two of you being so close." 

"Mal and I trust each other implicitly and Ash knows that we will never be anything other than friends and accepts it for what it is." 

"I hope so because I care about all of you guys and wouldn't want anything to ever happen that would cause me to have to choose sides." 

"Awww, you care about me, Lan? That's so sweet!" 

"Shut up and go to sleep, Gordon." Charlotte laughs before getting up and putting her glasses in their case, the book on her nightstand and then climbing under the covers. "Night, Lan."

A week later and the Cardinal make the trip to UC Davis to take on the Aggies in an exhibition match up before the regular season commences the following week. 

After impressing the coaching staff with her work ethic and play in training and scrimmages, Charlotte is rewarded with the start. 

As she awaits the opening whistle from the referee, she can't help but smile as she looks around at her teammates wearing their traditional Cardinal red uniforms and then taps the name and number on her chest. 

The game gets underway in front of a small crowd of supporters on the hot and humid California day. 

As expected the Cardinal dominate possession of the ball and come up with several shots on goal to start out the game. After the Aggies turn over the ball in the Cardinal end, the play quickly moves back towards the home end of the field. 

In the 19th minute, Charlotte accepts the ball from Mariah and then powers through on a shot that sails towards the upper left-hand corner of the goal, the keeper being blocked by her own defenders doesn't see the ball until late and makes the jump, but it's too little too late as it bulges the netting behind her. 

Charlotte is swarmed and congratulated by her teammates and can only laugh when Alana hugs her and whispers, "Show off" in her ear. 

3 minutes later Averie Collins is able to get a boot on the ball in the Aggie's box and make the score 2 - 0 for the visitors. 

UC Davis comes back with a marker of the own in the late minutes of the game, but the Collins goal proves to be the winner as the Cardinal comes away with the 2 - 1 victory. 

The teams congratulate each other and then head over to the sidelines to hydrate and listen to the coach's impressions. After showering and making a stop to get something to eat, the team gets comfy on their bus for the ride back to the Stanford campus. 

Charlotte sits on the bus and reviews her schedule, class outlines and expectations as well as the assignment listings before closing off the schoolwork and checking out the latest NWSL standings and scores. 

Seeing that the Spirit lost their game 2 - 1 to Chicago on an 87th-minute goal by Mal's USWNT teammate Christen Press, Charlotte knows that Mal won't be in the best of mood at the moment, so rather than calling her she decides to just send her a message and let her know the results of their game. 

New Message

C.J.: Hey Baby, I just wanted to let you know that we won our game against UCDavis 2 -1, I scored a goal and was credited with 5 SOG's. I miss you so much, Mally. I love you, call or message me if you feel like talking, okay? XO

Mal who is sitting with some teammates eating looks at her phone when it buzzes and smiles. 

"You good, Mal?" 

Mal smiles and nods at Caprice, "Yeah it was just C.J. letting me know that they won their game and that she scored a goal." 

"She's at Stanford, right?" 

"Yeah." 

"They have a good looking team this year, but I think UCLA will be able to take them." 

Mal laughs, "I'm not getting involved in that discussion." 

"Where's your Bruin loyalty, Pugh?" 

"At the bottom of a drawer at my parent's house." 

Caprice shakes her head before returning to the conversation going on around them. 

New Message

Mally: Congratulations!! I wish that I could have been there to cheer you on. Miss you XO

C.J.: Facetime me soon, I miss more than just your beautiful face 😛 

Mal laughs

Mally: I promise to do just that when I get back to Washington.

C.J.: 😍

"Yo, Charlie are you done sexting Mal yet or am I walking back to our room alone?"

Charlotte looks up and notices that the bus has stopped and her teammates are all standing and laughing at her reaction to being caught. 

"I wasn't sexting." 

"Really? Cause I'm pretty sure you ain't never used that emoji with me." 

Charlotte stands up and collects her stuff, laughing all the way off the bus. She and Alana dump their stuff off in their room before meeting up with Tierna, A.J., Andi and Jordan to hang for a bit before heading back to the room to chill before getting ready for bed. 

"Hey, Charlie, you played really well today." Charlotte smiles. "Thanks, Lan." 

A week later the Cardinal are in Milwaukee for two games over a span of three days against teams from Marquette and Wisconsin. 

In the first match against Marquette, Charlotte starts on the bench and she stands anxiously waiting at the sidelines for her chance to prove to the coaches that she is worthy of starting the next game. 

In the 25th minute of the game Stanford keeper Johansouz comes up with the save on an ill struck penalty and the ball is sent downfield and then subsequently out of play for a corner, allowing the first round of substitutions to be made. 

Charlotte jogs on to the field and gets into position for the corner to be taken. Marquette is able to clear the ball out of danger, but the Stanford defenders quickly retrieve the clearing attempt and send the ball forward. After the ball makes the rounds between the Cardinal offence, Tierna sends a shot on target that is punched away by the keeper but lands right in Charlotte's sweet spot and she sends a laser towards the upper 90 and in, for the Cardinal's first goal on the season and her first regular-season goal for the team in red.

Mal who's watching the game online in her hotel room in Raleigh screams out and cheers as the replay of the goal shows on the screen. 

Charlotte celebrates with her teammates and they jog back to their side of the field and wait for the restart. 

She gets another chance on goal in the 37th minute but gets under the ball and sends it over the goal. 

In the 51st minute of the game, Jordan DiBiasi playing on the left flank sends the box through the box and Kyra Carusa buries it for her first goal on the season. 20 minutes later, Carusa adds her second goal of the game connecting on the header from a McGrady volley. 

The Cardinal round out the scoring on the day with a goal in the 74th minute of play coming off another header off of the head of Mariah Lee who outjumped the hometeam's defenders on the corner and ball in the box.

Charlotte plays the balance of the game, getting a few more shots off, but in the end, even though she wishes she could have contributed more, she is happy to share in celebrating what is hopefully the first of many victories to come on the season for Stanford. 

Final Score Stanford 4 Marquette 0

The team heads back to the hotel and the players get cleaned up and changed before heading out for a team supper. 

The next day, while most of her teammates are out exploring the sights of Milwaukee, Charlotte opts to just spend the day in her hotel room catching up on her reading for school and then later on watching as Washington and North Carolina play. 

The game starts out on a good note for the Spirit as 8 minutes into the game they take the lead on a goal from Banini. They manage to keep the high flying Courage off the scoresheet until Sam Mewis pots the equalizer in added time to round out the first half. 

Returning to the field for the second half the Courage looks like the team of old and Jess McDonald scores back to back goals in the 61st and then 66th minute to put them out front. 

In the 73rd minute, Mal sets up Cheyna Matthews for the Spirit's second goal of the game but it ends up being her last action on the day as she is subbed out in favour of Havana Solaun minutes later. 

As the game finishes and Charlotte closes up her laptop, Alana returns to the room and they head down to eat and then spend the rest of the evening watching a movie on the television along with a couple of their teammates who decided to crash and watch it with them. 

At 11:00 there is a knock on the door and when it's met with no response the coach swipes a keycard to check and ensure that the players are all accounted for and where they're supposed to be. 

The following afternoon, they make their way back to Valley Fields to take on the Badgers from Wisconsin. 

Impressed by her play during the first game, Charlotte gets the start in this one and 7 minutes in connects on a header directing it down and just wide of the goal. 

Her next shot is blocked and she finds herself being subbed out in the 25th minute. 

Stanford dominates the play and shots but is unable to convert until the 43rd minute when Sam is able to connect on a header as a result of a perfectly placed corner kick by Andi.

Charlotte is back out on the field to start the second half and thirsty for a goal as the play begins to get chippy with Wisconsin being called for several consecutive fouls and leading up to a penalty kick in Stanford's favour in the 49th minute of play. 

Kyra steps up to the line and makes no mistake in converting her 3rd goal on the young season. 

In the 55th minute of the game, Charlotte finds herself with a wide-open net to fire the ball into after the keeper is caught out of position after making a save on Jordan and dishing out a juicy rebound for her second goal on the season in as many games. 

Ten minutes later and Charlotte slots the ball home from 15 yards out of a pass from Jaye to give her three goals on the season and the Cardinal a commanding four-goal lead.

She is subbed out after the goal and watches on as in the 85th minute of the game, Civana chips the Badger keeper to make it a fiver on the board for the visitors. 

With the final whistle blown the team assembles and celebrates their second victory on the season and a second consecutive clean sheet. 

The #1 ranked Stanford Cardinal returns to California undefeated in their first two games on the season and getting ready for their next game against the 8th ranked Florida State Gators the next weekend.

Back in her dorm room, and knowing that Alana will be out for a while, Charlotte takes a chance and Facetimes Mal.

She smiles as her girlfriend's face comes on the screen. 

"Hey, beautiful." 

Mal smiles, "Hey, superstar; look at you lighting up the scoring sheet." 

"Well, one of has too, cause you sure ain't doing the job!"

Mal shakes her head, "Give me a break I did get an assist." 

"I know, Baby, I'm only kidding. It's so good to see you." 

"Would you like to see more of me?" Mal looks at her smiling. 

"God, yes!" 

"Are you alone?"

"Yep." 

"Good, then get undressed; I want to see you too." 

Charlotte sets the phone down and quickly strips out of her clothes, watching as Mal does the same and letting out a moan in the process. 

Mal looks at her, "Like what you see?" 

"You know I do, I can't wait to hold, touch and taste you again." 

"Well for the moment you're going to have to settle for watching me." 

Charlotte props her phone up as does Mal and they begin the process of touching themselves and talking to each other, as Charlotte starts to get into it her phone starts buzzing. 

"You better not be planning on answering that right now." 

"Not a chance, it's only Ash, probably just checking in. Now, where were we?" 

Mal puts her hand between her legs and slides her fingers downward, "Right about here." 

"Oh my God, Mal, I love you!"

"Love you, too, C.J." 


	36. Chapter 36

Charlotte paces back and forth in her and Alana's hotel room in Gainesville, Florida driving her roommate nuts with the motion. 

Alana finally has enough and throws a pillow at her, Charlotte stops moving and bends down to pick it up, throwing it back at her roommate. "Sorry, I can't exactly wait in the lobby for Mal." 

"I get it, although I really don't understand why it's such a big deal for you guys to be seen together in public, everyone already knows or assumes that you're together." 

"True, but we don't feel the need to be on the radar with everything we do or everywhere we go; as it could possibly come back to bite us in the ass in the future." 

Alana shrugs, "Whatever. Have you spoken to Sanchez lately?" 

Charlotte smiles, "Yep and I know something you don't. Also, is there something I should know Lan because you seem to ask about Ash an awful lot." 

"Just curious how she's making out in her search for the perfect girl, who isn't you." 

"Uh-huh, so it turns out Teagan has a girlfriend back in Australia that Ash wasn't aware of, so she's moved on to someone else, but I'm sworn to secrecy about who." 

Charlotte's phone buzzes and she lights up when she sees the message, "Mal's here!!" 

"Okay, remember tomorrow is game day and we have a curfew tonight, so no extracurriculars with Pugh while I'm gone!" Alana packs up her bag and heads out of the room, down the hallway and into a room where the door was propped open. 

Charlotte waits anxiously at the door to her room and as the elevator makes a dinging noise and Mal steps out her face lights up like it's Christmas morning.

Mal laughs at her, "You going to just stand there or come and greet me?" 

"Umm, well, I don't have my room card on me and I'd prefer not to have to ask Lan to let us back in if we get locked out and also I don't think that my teammates need to see how we greet each other." 

Mal walks into and settles in her arms, "God, I miss this and you." 

"Mmm, I missed you so much, Mally." 

"I'm here now, do you think we can go inside because I really want to kiss you."

Charlotte backs up and pulls Mal into the room with her before ensuring that the door is closed and locked. 

She leads Mal over to her bed and they lay together, holding each other and sharing kisses. 

"How are you really doing, Mal?" Charlotte lays her head on the pillow looking at her girlfriend. 

"I'm good, it's just frustrating playing for a team that constantly loses though." 

"I get it, but aside from your loss against Portland, the team has been really well and you only lost to the Courage and Dash by one goal, so that's saying something. Not to mention that you've recorded three goals for a team that doesn't have a tendency to score that many, so you should be proud of that fact because I am of it and you." 

Mal leans over and kisses her, "You always seem to know the right thing to say to cheer me up." 

"That's my job as your absolutely, beyond amazing, totally awesome girlfriend." 

Mal laughs, "How long did that take for you to put it together?" 

"I honestly just thought of it now." 

Mal kisses her on the nose, "It shows. How are your classes going?" 

"Not going to lie, some of them are kind of boring with a ton of information to absorb but I'm loving every minute of it, it's absolutely fascinating to learn all about space and flight!"

Mal laughs, "And there's my nerdy girlfriend, that I love." 

Charlotte leans over and kisses her, "Love you too, Mal." 

"Oh, so guess what Agnew was reading on the flight to Portland?" 

"Do I really need to guess, because I'm fairly certain that you wouldn't be responding like that unless it was one of my books." 

"True, never thought of it like that. Anyways, so apparently some of the Canadian girls have a book club going and well Jessie recommended that they read The Known, so both Lindsay and Shelina are in the process of reading it." 

"You didn't say anything to them about it, did you?"

"I only asked them what they were reading and if they would recommend it as I was looking for something to read." 

"And, what was the response?" 

"Lindsay likes it and said she'll probably read the other two books in the series, Shelina was kinda on the fence about it, but she admitted to not being that far into it." 

"Did you admit to having already read them?" 

Mal shakes her head, "Nope!"

Charlotte laughs and reaches for Mal's hand, playing with her ring. "I can't wait until I get to replace this ring with a real one." 

Mal pulls Charlotte on top of her and kisses her, "I don't need a ring to indicate that you are mine and I am yours; it's written all over my heart. Now, how about we stop talking for a little while and enjoy each other's company." 

"We can't have sex, Mal."

"Way to ruin the mood, Babe." 

"Sorry, but we'll have some alone time to after the game tomorrow, I promise." 

"I'll hold you to that." 

Charlotte smiles and her and Mal are engaged in a heavy-duty makeout and touching session when Mal's phone starts ringing. They separate out of breath and extremely turned on as Mal rolls over to check who's calling at the inopportune time. 

Mal laughs and shows Charlotte the caller ID, "Alana Cook" 

"Why are you calling me, Lan?" 

"Because I didn't want to walk in on anything and I figured between you and Charlie that you were the one who would actually answer. So, am I interrupting anything?" 

Mal laughs, before hanging up on her. 

"I think that is your roomie's way of saying it's time for me to get going." 

"I wish you could stay with me tonight." 

"I know, me too, but we can't risk you getting into trouble for it." Mal leans over and kisses her gently, "I'll see you in the morning, love you, C.J." 

"Love you too, Mally." Charlotte watches on as Mal slides into her shoes and collects her stuff before offering a gentle wave in her direction and heading out the door. 

Charlotte collects what she needs and heads into the bathroom to complete her nighttime routine and get ready for bed. When she comes out of the bathroom, she finds that Alana has returned. 

"Thanks for chasing Mal, away. Just for that, you can buy your own coffee from now on."

"Would have rathered that I just walk in on whatever the two of you were doing?"

"Well, no." 

"Then suck it up, Gordon." 

"Maybe I should put in for a new roommate when we get back on campus." 

"Good luck finding someone who will put up with your messy, ice cream loving, snoring ass." 

Charlotte laughs, "You know Lan, I really think you're obsessed with my ass for how many times you reference it." 

Alana shakes her head and laughs as she makes her way into the bathroom to get herself ready for bed.

Charlotte grabs her laptop and sits in bed doing some reading for one of her classes when she gets a chat request from Finn and quickly accepts it. 

Finn: What are you doing online so late, shouldn't you be asleep already? You have a game tomorrow, right?

Charlie: Very soon, I was just finishing up some reading on flight safety, fuel efficiency, operating costs and environmental impact. Yep against Florida.

Finn: And you're still awake after reading that? Impressive! I would have been out cold after the first sentence. 

Charlotte laughs at Finn's comment. 

Charlie: I'm sure it's a lot more interesting than whatever you're currently doing.

Finn: Nah, learning all about the history off computers and operating systems is da bomb!

Charlie: For you and only you, Finn. So how are things at that fancy school of yours? Did you talk to that girl in the one class that you liked?

Finn: Yeah, we ended becoming partners on an assignment, so we spent a bit of one on one time together and I asked her if she would like to go out with me; we went to the movies last night and met for coffee this morning before class.

Charlie: Wow, so like two dates in less than 24 hours - she must be pretty desperate for company.

Finn: Hey! That's not nice, but not unexpected from you. How's Mal?

Charlie: Good, she's actually here to watch the game tomorrow. 

Finn: Don't screw up then!

Charlie: I never! Okay, very rarely. 

Finn: Was talking with Kenz earlier about the latest numbers. 

Charlie: It's pretty amazing to think that a book that was once turned down by every single publishing company is now on the best sellers list. 

Finn: Have you told anyone else besides Mal's family about it?

Charlie: No, and I don't plan on. Finn, I should go; it's just about lights out time.

Finn: Okay, have a good one Charlie and good luck against the Gators. 

Charlie: 👍

Charlotte closes her laptop and walks over to set it down on the table before, pulling back the covers on the bed and climbing in. 

"Lan, alarm set?" 

"Yep." 

"Night." 

The two players plug in their phones, shut off the lights and call it a night. 

The next morning as the alarm sounds out Charlotte gets up, and then heads into the bathroom to make herself presentable before heading down for breakfast. Looking around the room, she spots a few of her teammates talking with Mal and approaches them.

"Morning." 

Mal smiles, "Morning, looks like someone's happy to see me." 

"If only you knew how happy." 

"Oh, I think I have an idea. Coffee is decent."

Charlotte nods, "Okay, I'm just going to grab some food and caffeine and I'll be back." 

Once her plate is loaded with eggs, oatmeal and some fruit along with some juice and coffee she joins Mal at a table and starts eating. 

"Hungry?" 

"Starving." 

"How'd you sleep?" 

"Pretty good, although I did wake up at one point through the night and consider making the trek to your room. Then I realized it probably wasn't such a good idea so I went back to sleep." 

Mal laughs, "I'm glad you didn't, you would have been really grumpy this morning if you didn't get a full night's sleep and I'm sure you wouldn't have if you climbed into the bed where I was sleeping naked." 

Charlotte looks at her, "You just had to mention that last part didn't you?" 

Mal smiles, "Yep. So, are you planning on coming to my room after your meeting?"

Charlotte nods, "I'm not sure how long I'll be, they have some good players on the Gators and lots of vids to watch." 

"Yeah, watch out for Troccoli in the midfield, she's a giant." 

"Did you research the opposition, Mally?" 

Mal smiles, "I was bored on the plane, so I looked them up."

They sit and chat with some of Charlotte's Stanford teammates until they are signalled to make their way to the meeting room. 

Charlotte hugs Mal and gives her a kiss and a wink before following Andi and Tierna out of the breakfast area to the meeting room. 

Mal heads up to her room, grabs a shower and gets changed and ready for the game, while she waits for her girlfriend to appear. Sitting on the bed, she watches whatever on is the TV until there is a knock on the door and she jumps off it and opens the door to reveal Charlotte holding her go bag and rocking her Stanford wear. 

Charlotte follows Mal inside the room, drops her bag and takes off her shoes before joining Mal on the bed. 

"You look good in Cardinal colours, Babe." 

"I was going to bring you one of my shirts to wear, but I figured after the whole UCLA thing, it probably wouldn't be good for you to be seen wearing the colours of another school." 

Mal nods in agreement, "So, how about we watch some television until lunchtime and then we can curl up until you need to get ready."

"Sounds good to me." 

They lay down on the bed, chat and laugh while watching a couple of shows and then head to the hospitality area to grab something to eat and a couple of bottles of water and making their way back up to Mal's room. 

"I'm really glad we were able to get you a room in the same hotel as the team, so I get to spend extra time with you." 

"Me too, now, get to eating and make sure you drink lots because you're going to need it today." 

"Aye, aye, Captain, Mally!" Charlotte salutes her, causing Mal to bust out laughing at her. 

"Someone please save me, I fell in love with a goof." 

Charlotte kisses her on the cheek, "Yeah, you did." 

Later on, after having spent a few hours sleeping together, Charlotte's alarm goes off and she looks and smiles at Mal before getting up and heading into the bathroom to freshen up and finish getting ready to go. 

Once she's done, she takes a seat beside Mal on the bed and puts her running shoes back on.

Looking at the time on her phone, Charlotte sighs when she realizes that she needs to leave Mal behind as she joins her team for the short drive to Dizney Stadium. 

Mal kisses her, "I'll see you soon, superstar, go out and score a goal for me." 

"I'll do my best. Love you, Mal." 

"Love you too, C.J." 

Charlotte takes her seat on the bus beside Alana and puts in her Airpods and cranks her playlist not really interested in listening to the conversations going on around her. 

Arriving at the stadium for the early evening game, the Cardinal get off the bus and make their way to the changeroom for pregame and warmups. 

Taking to the field in the white with Cardinal red kits, in front of the crowd of under 1000, it's fairly easy for Charlotte to locate Mal as she sits relatively close to the player's benches. 

Off the get-go, the Gators look to strike first blood, only to send a couple of shots off target to start out the game as well as executing some poorly placed corners. Charlotte notices the height difference between her and the Gators #15 and is glad that she isn't her mark for the match. 

In the 24th the Cardinals take the ball in deep on a solo run by Tierna Davidson, who fires a left-footed shot on target which forces the keeper to parry it away, only to land right in front of a charging Charlotte, who makes no mistake in firing the ball into the wide-open goal to give them the lead. 

After scoring the opening goal, Charlotte smiles and winks at Mal in the stands before taking her place for the restart.

In the 34th, Charlotte heads to the sidelines as Mariah Lee takes over for the remainder of the half. 

In the 40th minute, the Gators level the score after a shot from the top of the box by Samantha Chung, bounces and evades the diving A.J. in goal. 

In the 52nd minute, Charlotte mistimes on a volley and sends it high and wide of the goal. 

Then in the 58th minute, Stanford digs in with Jaye stripping the defender of the ball sending a pass back through the box to Beattie Goad, who is able to capitalize and restore the Cardinals one-goal lead.

The teams continue to send shots on goal with Stanford holding the advantage in the overall number. 

In the 78th minute of the game, the Gators Pelayo sends the ball up and into the box, A.J. tries to punch it away but is beaten to the ball by Gabby Seiler who then heads the ball down and past her to tie the game up once more. 

In the 81st minute of the game, the Gators continue to press and Lais Araujo manages to send a bender from 6 yards out past a diving A.J. and give the Gators their first lead of the match. 

In the 89th minute of the game, Charlotte gets a shot away but can only watch as the keeper comes up with the ball. 

As the final whistle sounds out the Gators celebrate knocking off the #1 team, while the Cardinal are left to think about what could have been done differently. 

After returning to their hotel, getting showered and changed the players head back downstairs to eat supper while absorbing the loss. 

Charlotte doesn't see Mal around, so she messages her.

New Message

C.J.: Hey, where are you?

Mal: My room, I just grabbed something to go; I didn't feel like sitting and eating by myself.

C.J.: Hope you have room for dessert 😜

Mal: Always have room for dessert. 

C.J.: I'll be there soon, I just want to make sure I have everything ready for when we leave in the morning.

Mal: Okay, I'll prop the door.

C.J.: See you soon beautiful.

Mal sits on her bed messaging away with Brianna until Charlotte shows up and she informs her sister that she'll talk to her tomorrow. 

Bri: Of course, you ditch me for your girl 🙂 Tell Charlie Hi for me. 

Charlotte makes sure the door is closed and locked before making quick work of removing the clothes she is wearing. 

"So, about dessert." 


	37. Chapter 37

Charlotte sits on her bed streaming Mal's home game against Sky Blue and waiting to see if her girlfriend will make an appearance in it. The camera shows Mal warming up on the sideline and in the 62nd minute Salaun's night is done and Mal takes her place for the Spirit. 

"Come on, Mally!"

"You do realize that she can't see or hear you right?" 

Charlotte looks over at Alana, "When I want your opinion I'll ask for it, now shhh the game is on."

Alana shakes her head, "I'm going to grab some food, you hungry?" 

"Always, but you know that." 

"Yep. Usual?" 

Charlotte nods and hands her her card, "Yes please, thanks Lan."

"Yes!" Charlotte cheers as Whitney Church scores and levels the game at 1 in the 75th minute for the Spirit.

Mal comes close minutes later but her shot is directed wide at the last minute by Sky Blue player, Kelley O'Hara. 

5 minutes later, Mal is able to get ahold of the ball off a scramble in Sky Blue's box and sends it past Kailen Sheridan to give the Spirt the one-goal advantage in the 85th minutes of play.

Charlotte dances around and celebrates her girlfriend's game-winning goal as the game ends minutes later with Mal's goal being the difference.

New Message

C.J.: Nice goal, Babe. Congrats on the win. Love you. XOXO

Once the game is over with Charlotte switches her attention back to the reading and assignment she needs to complete prior to her Monday class. 

There is a knock on the door and she can hear a muffled, "Charlie, let me in!" 

She gets up and opens the door to let Alana back in, "What's all this?" 

"I may have gone a little overboard and got us some dessert as well. I think we've earned it." 

"You mean I earned it with my goal and assist in our game last night against Georgetown, what exactly did you do to earn yours?" 

"Did you not see me head the ball off the goal line in the second half? Kept the clean sheet for Lauren." 

Charlotte laughs, "Alright I'll give you that it was a nice clearance." 

They sit down to eat, "Did Mal end up playing?" 

Charlotte lights up and smiles, "Yep, came in and scored the game-winner." 

"Nice. You ready for our game against Navy tomorrow?" 

"Yeah, just wish it was a later start, afternoon games always throw off my game-day routine."

"You mean you're ability to sleep in on game days."

"That too. Hey, you're just as guilty of that as me!" 

Alana laughs, "True. Sucks that here it is Saturday and instead of being out enjoying myself I instead sitting here with you."

"Admit it, you love me, Lan; not to mention you wouldn't be drinking anyways with having a game tomorrow. We can put some music on if you want." 

"Yes music! BUT NO BIEBER!!!" 

"Please??"

"No! And don't be surprised if that disc becomes a frisbee one of these days." 

"That was a gift from Mal, so don't even think about touching it or else I'll make your favourite cleats disappear." 

"You wouldn't." 

Charlotte gives her a serious look and moves her hands, "Poof!" 

"Alright, I'll leave Bieber alone for now, but remind me to tell Mal off next time I see her." 

"She'll be here in a couple of weeks after her season is over, there's no chance the Spirit is making the postseason. That reminds me I need to replace the air mattress." 

Alana looks at her, "Do I even want to know what happened to it?" 

"Probably not, let's just say that Mal is stronger than she looks." 

"Definitely, don't want to know." 

Charlotte laughs and they listen to some music while they finish eating and then both attempt to tackle some school stuff. 

New Message

Mally: Hey Babe, thanks, love you, too, XOXO

Charlotte looks at the message and smiles before returning to her work, knowing that Mal will undoubtedly be doing her cooldown and then having supper with her teammates, so there isn't much point of her sending another message at the moment as Mal won't see or hear it until later.

After working on their respective school work for awhile, both Charlotte and Alana take the time to get changed and ready for bed before putting their stuff away and then putting on a movie for background noise until bedtime. 

"Hey Charlie?" 

"Yeah?" 

"When are your Mom and sister coming to watch you play?" 

"Was supposed to be this weekend but they were having some computer issues at my Mom's office, so she wasn't able to leave until they were certain everything was all good. So the new plan is for them to come next weekend for the games against USF and Yale now."

"You excited to have them here?" 

"For sure. Is your family going to make the trip to watch you play again soon?" 

"Hope so, it would be nice if Brianna could make the trip as well but she's busy on the job hunt." 

"It's weird that both you and Mal have sisters named Brianna." 

"Difference being hers is married to a baller, where mine is the baller, or at least she was."

Charlotte laughs, "Yeah, that's pretty cool that she played softball for Great Britain. How come you haven't repped them, you can right?" 

Alana nods, "Yeah, I'm still eligible to play for GB or the US but haven't been invited to anything for GB, so we'll see. I'm calling it, have a good sleep, Charlie and do me a favour and try and keep the moaning to a minimum if you decide to have another sex dream in your sleep." 

"I only said I was sleeping." Charlotte smiles and winks at her. 

"You dirty!" They both laugh. "Don't think I don't know your dirty little secrets either, Lan. Night." 

They shut off the light and can both be heard laughing in the dark until they both crash out. 

The next morning they sleep as long as possible before ensuring that they have both eaten enough to fuel themselves for the game and getting changed into their team gear and making the trek to the stadium with some of their teammates. 

Charlotte stops Tierna, "What's Sulli talking about with Lan?" 

"Just that some scouts from the US Federation are supposed to be here to scout for players for the U23 and Senior team today."

"Guess it's time to pick my play up a notch and try to get noticed." 

"You do know they were also at the game against Georgetown, right?" 

"No, I didn't. Crap, did I play okay, T?" 

Tierna laughs, "I would say recording a goal, and assist in limited playing time was in your favour."

"Thanks. It's just, you know I really want to make that step up to the National team one day and play with Mal." 

"Just keep doing what you're doing and you'll be fine. Now come on we need to catch up."

Charlotte sits in her chair, playing with her phone while she awaits the coaching staff's final instructions for the match. 

New Message

C.J.: I'm nervous, Tierna told me that there are scouts here for the game.

Mally: There are usually scouts at all games, Babe, don't let it get into your head; play your game!

C.J.: I'll do my best. Love you.

Mally: Love you, good luck and call me after XOXO

C.J.: I will XOXO

Charlotte tucks her phone back in her bag and sits and waits. 

With all the pregame stuff taken care of the Cardinals take to the field against the competition from Navy. 

The game gets off to a quick start with Stanford sending their first shot wide of the goal less than a minute in. 

6 minutes after the initial whistle, Civana Kuhlman beats Navy keeper, Fortson to the bottom left corner with her shot and put the home team up by one.

Play continues and for the next twenty minutes, the Cardinal dominates possession sending multiples shots towards the target but having no luck in bulging the netting. 

Charlotte gets the ball and sends a shot low that's directed just wide of the post by a Navy player, earning the Cardinal their 5th corner of the young half. Jordan is able to get behind the ball and send a shot on goal, but right at the keeper who holds on and kills the threat. 

Minutes later after A.J. sends a long ball downfield, Charlotte beats the defenders to it with her speed and hearing her name being called she directs the ball across the box to the feet of Kyra who makes no mistake in sending a howitzer past the keeper to put them up by two.

Charlotte celebrates with her teammates as they jog back to restart the game. 

"Nice pass, Charlie." 

Charlotte smiles and winks at Kyra who laughs. 

In the 37th minute, Charlotte heads to the bench and grabs some much-needed water while watching the remainder of the half unfold. 

In the 44th minute, Navy comes close to getting on the board after a corner kick in the Cardinal end meets its intended target, but A.J. is able to react quickly enough to get a foot on the header and direct it out of harm's way.

The second half starts out in a way that Andi won't live down for a while. The team's Captain manages to not only hit a post with a shot but also doink two shots off the crossbar in the span of less than 5 minutes. 

They all laugh at Andi's reaction as the third shot ricochets out of play. 

Charlotte who is beside Tierna laughs, "Remind me never to do the crossbar challenge with Sulli." 

Finally, in the 52nd minute, they are able to record their third marker of the game as Kyra pots her second of the game on a one-timer. 

In the 68th minute, Jaye brings everyone to their feet with an outstanding solo run and finish to put the Cardinal up 4 - 0. 

10 minutes later, Charlotte is able to add to their goal tally after jumping on a loose ball in the box after a Cardinal corner and sending the keeper sprawling to the far post. 

She makes her way to the sideline to finish out the game with a smile on her face, feeling as though she put in a good effort on the day and hoping it will get noticed. 

Mariah and Andi add another two goals before the final whistle as the Cardinal easily defeats the Navy with a final score of 7 - 0.

After the game, the players complete their cooldown and get changed before making their way back to the dorms or other accommodations to get cleaned up and have something to eat. 

Alana, Charlotte, Tierna, A.J., Andi and Jordan all walk together before going their separate ways.

Back in their room after having cleaned up and eaten, Alana and Charlotte are both glued to their laptops working away on school stuff, when Charlotte's phone rings, seeing Mackenzie's name on the screen she answers it. 

"Hey, Kenz, what's up?"

"Not much, can't a big sister just call and check in on her little sister." 

"What happened or what did you do?" 

"Nothing."

"Kenz!" 

"Fine, I may have signed Mom up for an online dating site and set her up with a date."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Charlotte apologizes to Alana for yelling out as her roomie looks at her concerned.

"You heard me. She is supposed to meet Brad, right about now."

"Oh, she is going to kill you when she finds out you played her Kenz. Wait, how exactly did you schedule a date without her knowing?"

"It was pretty easy actually, I told her to get dressed up and meet me at Casa Paolo, in Cornwall for supper, and well I'm stuck at work and can't make it, but hopefully Brad will." 

"So you not only sent her on a date, you sent her to another country for a date."

Mackenzie laughs, "I didn't think of that; all I was thinking about was how much she likes that scallop dish they make."

"It's a good thing you don't live at home anymore or else she would probably try and ground you indefinitely." 

"Probably even take my car keys away." 

"No doubt. Can't wait to hear all about how this works out, call or message me later, Kenz." 

"I will don't worry. Later, C.J." 

Charlotte gets off the call with her sister and then realizes she forgot to call Mal after the game. 

New Message

C.J.: Hey baby, I'm sorry I completely forgot about calling you after the game. Are you free to talk now? 

Mally: Yep, just chilling all by my lonesome in our apartment.

C.J.: I'll call you in a few - just going to head outside so I don't interrupt Lan while she's doing her work. She's kinda scary when she gets upset, but don't tell her I said that.

Mally: Lol, just get moving and call me. 

Charlotte puts some shoes on and collects what she needs before putting in her headphones to call Mal. 

Ring, ring

"Hey." 

"Hey beautiful, how was your day?" 

"Pretty uneventful, went to the grocery store and chilled." 

"What did you have for supper?" 

"A salad loaded with veggies." 

"Okay, are you sticking with the meals we discussed?" 

"Yep and I even bought a slow cooker and a cookbook to go with it. The only problem being is that now I have enough food to feed like 5 or 6 people rather than just me; so I've been having some of the girls over to help me eat it all." 

Charlotte laughs, "Dare I ask how that's been." 

"Not bad, aside from accidentally doubling the amount of seasoning required for the vegan chilli and almost burning mine and Caprice's mouth off from the heat."

"That's okay, she talks too much and is a Bruin." 

"Hey! Need I remind you that I'm a Bruin as well." 

"Yeah, but I'm willing to overlook that fact being as though it was only temporary and because I love you." 

"Love you too. How was your game today?" 

"Good, we won 7 - 0, had another goal and assist; should've had more but my touch failed me today." 

"It happens." 

"I know, it's just that I wish I could score more, and prove to everyone that I belong in the starting 11 all the time." 

"C.J. trust me I know how much you like to score..." Mal giggles at the insinuation, "But right now, just focus on being consistent and a team player; assists are just as important as goals." 

Charlotte laughs along with Mal. "I get it, Lan keeps telling me to relax and that my time will come. As much as it pains me to say that she's right, I know that she is."

Mal laughs, "Don't ever tell her that or you'll never hear the end of it!" 

"Ohh, I know trust me!" They both laugh. "It's so good to hear your laugh, Mally."

"I miss you and your laugh, C.J." 

"I miss your ... well everything, Mal. I was wondering if you might consider letting me rent an apartment for you in Cali and staying here for the duration rather than spending a short amount of time together in the dorm on an air mattress and then heading back to Denver." 

"Can you afford that? Actually scratch that I know you can but do you not think it will draw questions?" 

"Of course it will but then aren't you a member of the USWNT and have some sponsors who could make it a viable option?"

Mal laughs, "I see where you're going with it. How about we check out some places when my season is over and see about doing a short term rental." 

"Yes!" Charlotte bounces around doing a dance. 

"Can you stop doing your happy dance long enough to say goodbye, because I have an appointment I need to leave for soon." 

Charlotte stops moving, "How did you know I was doing a dance?" 

"Because I know you and your tendencies, now I need to go; love you baby and we'll talk soon." 

"Love you, Mally." 

"Love you, C.J. now get back to work!" 

"On it, Captain Mally!" 

"Please tell me you didn't just salute the phone." Charlotte laughs, "Umm... I kinda did." 

She hears Mal laughing through the phone before hanging up. 

Rather than making the walk directly back to her room, Charlotte stops and grabs a small scoop of ice cream before making her way back to put the finishing touches on her assignment.

New Message

Kenz: So Mom just called me and told me that some guy was harassing her at the restaurant and insisting that she was his date, she ended up having him escorted out of the place and got a free meal as a result because the staff felt bad for her. 

C.J.: You better hope to heck that she doesn't find out you tried to set her up and might I suggest not doing it again!!

Kenz: She's lonely, even if she won't admit it.

C.J.: I know, but there's no timeline for recovery of a broken heart. She lost her soulmate, I don't know what I would do if I ever lost Mal. She needs to get back into the dating world at her own speed, Kenz, not ours.

Kenz: Fine, I'll take down her profile. 

C.J.: Good! Stay out of trouble and I'll see you in a couple of days. 

Kenz: You better have booked us in at a decent hotel and not someplace with bed bugs or rats.

C.J.: Don't worry it's all taken care of, I would never subject you guys to a dive like that place we stayed at in Buffalo.

Kenz: You mean the one where the homeless guy whipped it out and peed in front of us. 

Charlotte busts out laughing 

C.J.: I totally forgot about that! 

Kenz: Lucky you. See you in a few. 

C.J.: Later, Kenz.

Making her way to her room, Charlotte is finally able to complete her required work for the following day and decides to call it a night after getting changed and comfy under her covers. 


	38. Chapter 38

Charlotte stands and waits for her Mom and sister to appear in the crowd of people inside the airport. 

When she finally catches a glimpse of them she makes her way towards them and wraps her arms around her Mom and then sister. 

"I'm so glad you're here; how were the flights?"

"Good, can we get out of here and get something to eat? The airplane food looked, seriously suspect and I didn't touch it." 

Charlotte shakes her head at her sister's comment, "Of course, you didn't, you're such a food snob sometimes, Kenz." 

"Hey!" 

"Hey, what? You know it's true." 

Mackenzie shrugs her shoulders and after Charlotte collects her Mom's suitcase from her, they head out to Alana's car and load the cases in the back of it before Charlotte navigates the way out of the airport. 

"You craving anything in particular, Kenz? Lots of options here. Perhaps, Mom, you might like to try the scallops at one of them." 

Charlotte looks in the rearview mirror and catches her sister's eyes and smiles knowing that she has something to hold over her with regards to their Mom and being set up unknowingly on a date.

"Actually, that sounds like a wonderful idea, Charlie, but shouldn't we get checked in to the hotel first?" 

"I almost forgot about that, we should definitely get you checked in first." Charlotte makes the drive to the Courtyard and they get checked in, heading up to their rooms and looking around before dropping their suitcases and heading back out. 

"So Lan told me of a place that isn't far from here, it's a bit pricey but the food is good."

After being seated at the restaurant, they place their drink orders and look over the options on the menu in front of them.

"You weren't kidding about it being pricey here, Charlie; are you sure you don't want to go elsewhere to eat?" 

"Mom, it's fine; you know I can afford it. Now, order whatever you like." 

They place their orders and once the waiter is out of earshot they start talking, "How are classes going and how's that girlfriend of yours?" 

Charlotte smiles thinking about Mal, "My classes are going really well, the instructors here are phenomenal and I'm learning so much; I never really understood everything that was involved in making an aircraft fly. It's so cool to see a basic idea and or sketch go through the different steps of the design process on it's way to possibly becoming the next Atlantis or Concord or Boeing." 

"Enough with the nerd talk, C.J. we get it, you like what you're doing; so how are things with Mallory?" 

"She doesn't like being called Mallory, Mackenzie and you know that and things are really good between us. Her season is almost over and we've discussed the possibility of getting an apartment near here that she can stay in rather than spending her off-season at home like she usually does." 

"Would you be moving out of the dorm and into the apartment, Charlie?" 

"Possibly, but I like being in the dorm and close to my teammates, even if Lan is a pain in the ass at times, she's a good roomie. So, I guess I'll probably end up splitting my time between the two. Anyways, what's happening in your neck of the woods, any movement on the relationship front, Mom?" 

Carol looks at her daughters, "Would you be okay with me going out to supper with a gentleman I work with?" 

Charlotte and Mackenzie's eyes both go big and they smile, "You don't need our permission to go out on a date, Mom; we only want you to be happy and Dad would want that too." 

Charlotte smirks at her sister, "So, Mom, anything interesting happen to you, lately?" 

"Actually, yes. Mackenzie and I were supposed to meet up for supper at Casa Paolo for supper the other night and unfortunately, something came up at work and she was unable to make it. Being as though I was already there I went ahead and ordered and then this gentleman sat down across the table from me insisting that his name was Brad from "Click and Flirt" and that he was my date for the evening. I informed him that he was mistaken and that I wasn't on any dating sites and when he become boisterous about it, I had him removed from the restaurant."

"Oh, wow, Mom, it's amazing the lengths that some people will go to, to set someone up." 

Carole smiles and looks towards Mackenzie, "Oh, don't worry, I'll remember it when someone's birthday happens in a little over a month." 

Charlotte laughs at Mackenzie's reaction to her mother's comment. 

"C.J., you told her? How could you?" 

"Your sister didn't tell me anything, I figured it out very quickly for myself, once Brad mentioned an online dating site was involved and the fact that you no-showed on me was a major red flag. Perhaps you should learn how to cover your tracks better Mackenzie, just in case you decide to try something like that again."

"You are so busted, Sis!" Charlotte yells out loudly getting a few looks from other patrons of the restaurant.

"Shut up, C.J., just remember which one of us has a huge secret that they are keeping from everyone." 

"Mackenzie, that's enough. You do realize that that secret has funded your car, apartment and the vacation you took with Billy." 

"You mean the vacation where my former boyfriend was so busy checking out the local diamonds for the next big star that he stood me up for what was supposed to have been our anniversary dinner." 

"Cough" "Mets fan" "Cough"

"And just for that, I'm ordering the most expensive dessert they have on the menu."

Charlotte shrugs and laughs. 

They finish eating and the waiter comes along with the bill, handing it to Carol who in turn hands it over to Charlotte drawing a look from him as she slides a card in the folder and passes it back to him. 

"He just halved his tip, didn't he?" Charlotte nods. 

Once the meal is paid for they head back out to the car and Charlotte drives her Mom and sister back to their hotel, dropping them off before making the short drive back to her dorm and returning the borrowed car to her roommate. 

Charlotte returns from the bathroom and getting changed for bed, "Lan, have you seen my glasses?" 

"No, but you were at the library earlier so check the side pocket of your bag, where you usually put them." 

Charlotte checks her bag and sure enough, she finds the case with her glasses inside, "How is it that you know where I put them?" 

"Charlie we've been roommates long enough that I know lots about you and your tendencies as I'm sure you know mine." 

Charlotte nods, "I guess that's true. Did your mark get posted for that assignment, yet?" 

Alana shakes her head, "Nope. If it's not posted by tomorrow I'm going to email the instructor because I need to know where I'm at." 

"I hear ya, I'm been waiting on some of my marks to be posted for a week now, I swear some of them wait until the last possible minute to post them just to screw with us." 

"Speaking of being screwed, Mal called me earlier to check on you and make sure your family got here alright. Said your phone kept going to voicemail." 

Charlotte walks over and looks at her phone, currently plugged in and charging, "Oh crap, I turned it off earlier when I was trying to focus on studying and I guess I forgot to turn it back on. How much crap am I in?" 

Alana laughs, "You're fine, Mal and I actually chatted for awhile said you're thinking about a short term rental around here for her. Are you planning on leaving me behind, roomie?" 

"Of course not, we haven't ironed out all the details yet."

"Okay, well at least give me some notice if I'm going to have to break in a new roomie." 

"I will."

Charlotte turns her phone on and finds that she has missed a few messages from her girlfriend and also from Mackenzie who was apparently subjected to a deep, emotional chat with their Mom after they were dropped off.

New Message

C.J.: Lan told me you called; sorry, forgot to turn my phone back on after the library. Mom and Kenz are here, we went out for supper and then I dropped them back to the hotel. I've got some reading to get done before class tomorrow, so I need to do it before I sleep. Sweet dreams, Mally, love you. XOXO. 😘

After finishing her reading Charlotte calls it a night and turns of her lamp falling asleep to the sounds of Alana's snoring. 

The next morning both players are up early for a light workout with the team before classes start. 

Not having time to head back to the dorm and get cleaned up, Charlotte grabs a quick shower at school and then pulls on some comfies, before hitting up the cafeteria for some breakfast and coffee. She carries her coffee with her to class, trying to inhale as much of the liquid as possible before disposing of it as there isn't any food or drink allowed in the labs. 

Once they are on break, she pulls out her phone and sees that her Mom and sister have already been busy checking out the sights around the area and that Mal responded to her message a short time ago. 

New Message

Mally: Glad to hear they arrived. Have a good day at school. Love you, XOXO.

C.J.: 🤗 ❤️🤗❤️🤗❤️🤗❤️🤗

Mally: I take it that you're currently on a break. 

C.J.: Yeah, for another 10 minutes. What are you up to?

Mally: Just heading out the door for training. 

C.J.: Don't have too much fun making your teammates look bad. 

Mally: Oh, trust me I won't. Call me later. ❤️

C.J.: I will. Have a good day, babe. ❤️

Charlotte finishes out her classes on the day and heads back to the dorm to drop off her stuff before calling Mackenzie. 

"Ring, ring" 

"The number you have reached is no longer in service." 

Charlotte shakes her head, "Very funny, Kenz. Where are you guys?" 

"Some garden with weird looking sculptures that Mom wanted to see." 

"I'm going to need you to be a bit more specific, there are a few of those around here." 

"Don't I know it! I think Mom is punishing me by dragging me around to all these sculptures and gardens with her. Gotta admit though this one's kinda cool, hold on I'm sending you a pic."

"Of course you would like the Gates of Hell, Kenz. It's actually one of my favourites as well, the longer you look at it, the more the details show themselves to you." 

"Yep, it looks cool." 

"No appreciation for a work of art, Kenz." 

"Nope, not unless the work of art includes a six-pack."

"Mal has nice abs." 

"Not going there, anyways, are you meeting us or what? Please say, yes, because I can't handle anymore greenery on my own." 

Charlotte laughs, "You're getting what you deserve. How about you guys come here and I'll show you around and then we can get something to eat. I generally try and eat healthily and take it easy the night before games." 

"Mom says that's fine with her, can you send us directions, so we don't get lost please." 

"Tell Mom, I'll send them to her phone because I know how useless you are with directions." 

"I'm going to let that go, because it's kinda true. We'll see you shortly." 

"Bye, Kenz."

Charlotte types out a message to her Mom which includes the pertinent info on how to find her room and sends it. While she waits she decides to crack open her laptop and watch some Premier League highlights including Kun Agüero's hat trick for Manchester City in their lopsided 6 - 0 victory over Watford.

When there is a knock on the door she gets up and lets her family in. "Welcome to my humble abode." 

"I see that you still need someone to clean up after you."

"Actually, that's Lan's mess, not mine; I cleaned up my part of the room earlier. Do you want a drink? I think we have water and some other choices in the mini-fridge." 

Mackenzie walks over and helps herself to a drink while Charlotte grabs her Mom and herself some water. 

"So, are you ready to check out the campus?" 

"Do we have to, I mean seen one campus seen 'em all." 

"Mom should have left you back at the hotel." 

"Then at least I could have hung out by the pool and checked out the guys rather than being dragged around to everything educational; I thought California was all about fun in the sun." 

"Believe me, Kenz it's a lot more fun once it gets dark out." Charlotte realizes what she just said and looks at her Mom, "I mean, not that I would know anything about that but Lan tells me it is." 

Mackenzie starts laughing, "That was pathetic, Sis." 

The three members of the Gordon family head out to explore some of the sights and then have supper together before Charlotte makes sure to be back and ready for bed at a decent hour. 

New Message

C.J.: I wish you were in my arms right now, counting down the days until you're here with me. Good luck in Boston.😘


	39. Chapter 39

The next day, Carol and Mackenzie take their seats at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium surrounded by a relatively small crowd of loyal friends and family members as the Cardinal get ready to take on the University of San Francisco Dons; a team which Charlotte already explained to them was called the Dons in response to an acronym, for "De Origen Noble" not an individual, so not to be upset by it. 

From the initial kick-off, the Cardinal play hard and gains the opposing end sending their first shot towards goal 4o seconds into the match in and earning a corner kick as the defender blocks the shot and directs it out of play. 

Minutes later, Jordan flicks the loose ball on to Kyra who makes no mistake in the finish and puts them up for the early lead. 

The Cardinal continue to dominate possession and shots, sending several attempts wide of the target before Civana Kuhlman is able to send a shot from the flank past the frozen keeper and just inside the post in the 13th minute to put them up by two.

Two minutes after that Charlotte sets up Andi with a perfect service in the box and the Cardinal Captain finishes it with a one-timer past the Dons keeper. 

A minute later, Charlotte gets her own opportunity but gets under the ball a little too much and sends her shot flying over the top of the crossbar. 

Minutes later and the Cardinal continue to do everything right and Kuhlman sets up Dibiasi to make it 4 - 0 for the home team with just over 18 minutes played in the half. 

A couple of minutes later, the Cardinal get set up for a corner and the USF keeper is unable to get a hand on the ball before Charlotte connects with it and sends a bouncer past her and into the netting to put them up by 5 goals only 22 minutes into the game. 

The first round of subs make their way out onto the field and Charlotte jogs back over to the sidelines and grabs a drink as Madison puts the teams 6th marker of the day on the board. 

Charlotte almost feels bad for the Dons keeper as she continues to have shots sent towards the goal, with her defenders giving the Cardinal plenty of room to move in their end. 

As the whistle blows to end the half, a quick check shows the Cardinal have already taken 23 shots with the USF keeper coming up with 6 saves. 

Off the whistle to start the second half the Cardinal regain the Dons end and get back to making the keeper work with Charlotte taking a shot from in close and then sending the rebound right back at the keeper's chest and into her arms to nullify the chance. 

She continues to send shots on goal but finds either a defender in the way or the keeper taking care of business on the backline. 

In the 72nd minute, Andi and Averie play a give and go with Averie sending the ball through the keeper's legs and into the netting for their 7th goal on the day. 

With the next rounds of subs, Charlotte knows her game is done and she heads to the touchline and grabs a drink, watching the final 15 minutes of the game, and cheering as Mariah nets their 8th goal on the day with 3 minutes left in the match. 

Once the final whistle sounds out the players celebrate their victory and then shakes hands with the team from USF, before making their way back over to the touchline for some final instructions from their coaches. 

Charlotte walks over to where her Mom and Mackenzie are standing and waiting for her. They all hug. 

"Good game, Charlotte."

"Thanks, Mom." 

"Yeah, good game C.J. although how is it possible to miss the net that many times during a game?" 

Charlotte looks at her sister and rolls her eyes, "Really, Kenz?" 

"I'm only kidding, you played awesome!"

"Thanks, Kenz. I need to finish up now, I'll catch you guys for breakfast tomorrow, okay?" 

"Of course." Carol hugs her once more and kisses her on the cheek, "I'm proud of you, Charlie." 

Charlotte smiles, "I'm really glad that you guys are here; it's hard being on the opposite side of the country from everyone I love." 

"Didn't you say that Mal's season was just about over?" 

"Yeah, they play the Breakers tomorrow in Boston and then finish out their season next weekend with a game against Seattle. She needs a few days to finish up in Washington and then is planning on spending a few weeks chilling with her family. Mal and her parents are planning on coming to watch when we play Colorado and then Mal is coming back here to stay and we are going to look at apartments, I can't wait for that last part." Charlotte grins thinking about seeing her girlfriend and finally being close to her again. 

"Just make sure that you stay on top of your school stuff." 

"Mom, when have you ever known me not to be on top of my school stuff? I'm all over it and then some." 

Carol laughs at her youngest daughter's enthusiasm for school and learning in general. 

"I really gotta go now, but I'll call you in the morning. Love you Mom, Kenz." 

Charlotte heads over to where her teammates are assembled and they complete cool down before heading in to get showered and changed and then heading out to get something to eat before heading back to their dorms and or apartments. 

Charlotte and Alana opt to get their meal to go and drive back to the dorm singing along with the music blasting through the speakers. 

The next morning Charlotte is thankful that it's Saturday and she gets to sleep in a bit later than through the week. Turning over to stop her phone from beeping, she is surprised to find that Alana managed to sneak out without waking her up. 

Taking her phone in her hand, she sends her girlfriend a quick message

New Message

C.J.: Good morning beautiful, good luck today. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Mally: We still on for our Facetime date later?

C.J.: I'm not sure how long I'm going to out with my Mom and Kenz, can I message you later and confirm?

Mally: It's okay, we can reschedule for another night, spend time with your family. Love you. 

C.J.: Love you so very much and can't wait to have you in my arms or bed again. 

Mally: Soon. 

C.J.: Not soon enough. 

Mally: Patience, I promise it will be worth the wait.

C.J.: Holding you to that. Can I ask you a question? 

Mally: Provided it doesn't include the word threesome, then yes.

C.J.: 😮🤔

Mally: 🛑

C.J.: No fun and you're the one who mentioned it, I was only going to ask what you thought about me getting a tattoo. 

Mally: Tattoos are sexy, what are you thinking about getting?

C.J.: I really dislike not being able to wear my chain and pendant from my Dad when I'm playing so I was thinking of maybe getting something like this (don't laugh it's from Pinterest)

Mally: It's cute, Babe. Are you thinking about getting it on your arm, like that one?

C.J.: Yeah, I want to be able to see it when I'm playing. 

Mally: I approve. I'm being summoned but we'll talk later. Love you. 

C.J.: Love you too. Kick some Breakers ass. 

Charlotte heads over to her dresser and collects some clean clothes, swapping them out for her pyjamas and then grabbing her toiletry bag makes her way to the bathroom to finish her morning routine. 

Once back in her room, she calls her Mom and waits for her to answer. 

"Morning sleep head, I thought that we were meeting for breakfast." 

"Can we do brunch instead?"

"Sure, are you coming to the hotel?" 

"I'll be there very soon, just need to finish getting ready." 

"Okay, would you like to meet in the hotel restaurant or did you have someplace else in mind?" 

"The hotel is fine, I guess. I'll see you shortly. Bye, Mom." 

"Bye, Charlie."

Charlotte grabs her bag and heads out, not having wheels of her own she waits for the cab she ordered to arrive and directs the driver to the Courtyard. 

As they pull up in front of the main entrance, she pays for the ride and climbs out of the back seat before making her way inside and entering the restaurant. Finding her Mom and sister relatively easy she makes her way over to them and grabs a seat beside Mackenzie; scooping up her sister's coffee and taking a big mouthful of it. "Coffee, good." 

"Yeah, well consider that one yours now 'cause I'm not sharing your germs or backwash." 

"Sounds like you need the coffee more than I do, Kenz. What's up?" 

"The pillows are too fluffy so I didn't sleep well." 

Charlotte laughs, "You're seriously complaining about pillows? I think what you need is a day at the beach." 

"YES!!" 

"Then that's exactly what we are going to do, have some fun in the sun. I can't stay out all day, because I don't want to be tired for our game tomorrow, but I can do a few hours, so what do you say about the Gordon sisters taking on the beach?" 

"Mom?" 

"I'll be fine, Kenz, there are plenty of spots I'd still like to see and you and Charlie should spend time together." 

Mackenzie hugs their Mom and starts to walk away from the table, before being reminded that she needs to finish eating first.

A little while later after changing into their bikinis, Charlotte and Mackenzie make their way to one of the beaches and find a spot to lay down towels and watch the waves come in. 

Charlotte tosses her sister the sunscreen, "You'll thank me later." Once Mackenzie is done with it, Charlotte makes sure to plaster herself with it, not wanting to take any chances of getting burned." 

"You are so lucky that you get to see this every day, C.J."

"It's beautiful, isn't it. Even though it's hard being so far away from you guys, I've never regretted making the choice to move to Cali and attend Stanford. It's all a dream come true, Kenz. I'm really enjoying school and playing with one of if not the best soccer team in the NCAA has been awesome. I'm hoping that all my hard work on and off the pitch will get me noticed by US Soccer and maybe earn me an invite to a camp. I'd love to be able to play alongside Mal, again." 

"What are you going to do if that invite doesn't come?" 

"If it doesn't come, then I'm thinking of pursuing a Master's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT and from there we'll see." 

"Do you see yourself playing in the NWSL?" 

"It's still a possibility, Kenz. I'll see where I'm at in my Senior year and then make the decision that is right for me then."

"Does Mal have any say in these plans of yours? Because need I remind you that you have made it very clear that you are going to marry her one day." 

"I wouldn't make any decisions about my future without first talking them over with Mal, we talk to each other about everything." 

"What about your other persona, what's going to happen with it?" 

"I'm not sure yet, I know it's unrealistic to expect to be able to keep my identity hidden for very much longer; I guess when it comes to it, I just want to reveal myself on my own terms and not as the result of a slip and headline." 

"I get it and for what it's worth I support you no matter your choice." 

"Thanks, Kenz. Now enough serious talk, let's get some rays and check out some abs." 

"You have a girlfriend." 

"Uh-huh, doesn't mean I can't still look and appreciate the human figure."

Mackenzie laughs at her sister's comment before getting comfy in the sunshine. 

After a few hours of just chilling out and enjoying each other's company, they reluctantly pack up and make their way back to the hotel and find that Carol isn't back yet. 

"You want to watch Mal's game with me, Kenz? It should be starting pretty soon." 

"Sure, I'd like nothing more than to watch you drool over your girlfriend." 

As they are watching the first half of the game between the Spirit and Breakers, Carol Gordon returns to the room with bags in hand. 

"Looks like someone enjoyed their day." 

Carol smiles, "How's Mal looking?" 

"Hard to say neither team has really taken control of the game yet, it's been pretty boring to watch honestly." 

"Did you guys eat?" 

Charlotte looks at the time, "No, but I should eat soon; I try and keep a regular schedule for when and what I eat." 

"Why don't we order in-room service and finish watching the game together." 

They all agree and wait for their food as the teams head off the field for half time and the commentators talk non-stop about nothing to fill the void of not having any real highlights to discuss. 

When there is a knock on the door Charlotte answers it and passes off a tip as he places their meals on the table. 

As they settle into eating and watching the second half, the Breakers start the play from the kickoff and end it with Natasha Dowie drawing first blood as she directs the ball past Hararic in the 47th minute. 

Things start to go downhill for the Spirit after that with an own goal off Kassey Kallman in the 54th minute putting the Breakers up by two and then Canadian International Adriana Leon adding the Breakers third goal less than a minute later. 

They finish eating and watching the game and Charlotte can tell that Mal is frustrated with her team's effort when the normally quiet player makes her presence known with a hard tackle in the latter portion of the half against Breakers forward Rosie White, drawing the foul but fortunately not a card on the play. 

With the final whistle sounding the Spirit is handed another loss on their ever dragging season. 

"Do you mind if I head out now, I want to call and check in with Mal and I'm got some work I should be doing as well." 

Carol hugs her, "Give Mal my love and we'll see you after the game tomorrow." 

"I will, thanks, Mom. Love you." 

"Love you." 

"Bye Kenz, thanks for today, it was nice just hanging with you." 

"It was, we should do it again sometime soon, so I can finish working on my tan." 

Charlotte laughs, "I'll see you tomorrow." 

Back in her dorm room, Charlotte sends Mal a message and waits for her call.

New Message

C.J.: Call me beautiful, I have a feeling you need to vent and I'm all ears. 

The following afternoon in front of another crowd of less than 1000, Charlotte and her Cardinal teammates knock off Yale by a final score of 7 - 0, with Charlotte once again contributing a goal along with an assist on their 6th goal on the day. 

After spending a bit more time with her Mom and sister after the game and introducing them to her teammates and friends, they say their goodbyes back at the hotel with Charlotte not wanting to miss her early class the next morning to take them to the airport for their flight home. 

As she lays in bed looking at the ceiling and willing herself to sleep her phone buzzes. 

New Message

Mally: Thinking of you, sweet dreams 🤗💋

She smiles at the message and wonders why Mal is still awake but decides she can ask her at another time and sets her phone back in its place before closing her eyes.


	40. Chapter 40

The next few weeks are more of the same and routine for Charlotte. She divides her time between attending classes, working on school stuff and soccer, with a little time left for socializing with friends in her program and also her teammates off the pitch. 

The Cardinal continues on with their winning ways defeating the teams from Santa Clara, Washington State, Arizona and Arizona State with Charlotte continuing to make her mark on the field and on the score sheet for the team. 

In the meantime, Mal's season has finally and thankfully met its end with the Spirit losing their season finale against the Reign. The game started out on a good note as Mal contributed two goals in the first half to give her team the lead but unfortunately for them, Jess Fishlock scored in the 90th minute of the match for Seattle to give the Reign the last minute come from behind victory. 

Although it was nowhere near a dream season to start her NWSL career off with, Mal still was able to finish out her freshman season with 6 goals in only 16 games with the team. After finishing up with all her team requirements in Washington, Mal ensured that the apartment was clean and the fridge cleared out before heading back to Denver to spend time with her family and friends. 

Charlotte catches herself looking at the scoreboard and checking out the remaining time left as the Cardinal look to continue on with their winning ways against the Utes, in Salt Lake City. 

Minutes later the referee sounds out the final whistle as the Cardinal finishes out the 3 - 0 victory against the competition.

Charlotte congratulates her teammates and then the opposition before the team goes about completing their cooldown, getting cleaned and packed up, having a team meal for supper and then heading towards the airport for the relatively short flight to Denver in advance of their next game against Colorado on Sunday. 

Charlotte sits and waits for their flight to take off and her bouncing leg keeps hitting Alana in the seat next to her not to mention the vibrations are driving the rest of her teammates nuts. 

Alana has enough and puts her hand on Charlotte's leg, "Enough already, I get it you're excited to see your girl, but you need to chill before Andi comes over and has a word with you." 

"I'm not afraid of Sulli, I can take her." 

A voice speaks up, "Really?" 

"Umm, hey Sulli, fancy meeting you here." The rest of the girls laugh as Charlotte becomes very quiet and the bouncing leg stops. 

Alana laughs, "Not afraid of Sulli, huh?" 

"She is the Captain, Lan, so I need to respect her and yeah she's a little intimidating at times." 

"I'm telling Mal that she's dating a wimp." 

"She already knows that, but I make up for it in different ways, if you get my drift." Charlotte winks at Alana. 

"Eww, TMI! Now, put your headphones in and chill out, I want to nap." 

"Fine." Charlotte does as she is asked and puts her headphones in and listens to her playlist for the majority of the flight. 

After landing and making their way to the hotel, the team grabs some snacks before heading to their respective rooms and getting situated for the next few days.

Charlotte drops her bags and pulls out her phone. 

Ring, ring

"You at the hotel?" 

"Yep, how far out are you?"

"About 15 mins, meet me in the lobby." 

"Done, see you soon." 

Charlotte grabs her toiletry bag and makes quick work of brushing her teeth and making herself look presentable for her girlfriend's arrival. She lets Alana know where she is headed before making her way down the stairs to the lobby. 

A few minutes later she sees the woman she loves enter the lobby with a big smile on her face and goes running over, scooping her up in her arms and holding her as she places a quick kiss on her lips. 

"Oh my God, you have no idea how good it is to see you, Mally." 

Mal smiles, "Do you think we can someplace a bit more private because that kiss wasn't nearly enough."

Charlotte smiles and puts her hand out to Mal, "Lan promised us an hour in the room." 

"We could do a lot of things in an hour."

"Can't do that tonight, Babe. But we can do some other stuff." 

Once Charlotte opens the door and checks that Alana has vacated the premises as promised, she pulls Mal inside and pushes her against the wall before locking their mouths together and forcefully kissing her until needing to come up for air. 

As they catch their breath they make their way over to Charlotte's bed, laying down and facing each other. 

"I can't believe it's been like 6 weeks since we last saw each other."

"I've been counting down the days, if you don't believe me I'm sure my parents will confirm it for you."

"I believe you, now come here." 

They continue to talk, hold and kiss each other until being interrupted by a returning roommate. 

"My eyes, my eyes!" Alana covers her face as she enters the room. 

Charlotte throws a pillow at her roommate as Mal laughs at their antics before getting up and hugging Alana. 

"How's it going, Lan?" 

"Good, sucks about your season, Mal." 

"Yeah, hopefully, next year will be better." 

"You know Sulli is planning on opting into the draft this year, the Spirit would be extremely lucky to have her on their roster." 

"Sounds like there is going to be quite a bit of movement involving players and picks before the draft takes place so you never know and it would be awesome to be back playing with Andi. Might have to upgrade to a two-bedroom apartment if that happens because it would be nice having Andi as a roomie."

Alana laughs, "You know that your girlfriend here is scared of Andi, right? I can't imagine that's going to bode well for your home life." 

"I'm not scared of her! I just respect her too much to question her, okay?" 

"Uh-huh, you gonna stick with that story, Charlie?" 

Charlotte nods making both Alana and Mal laugh. Mal leans over and kisses her, "You're cute, Babe." 

Mal sits up on the bed, "I should probably head out now and let you guys get some sleep." Charlotte wraps her arms around Mal's waist setting her chin on her shoulder, "I don't want you to go." 

"I'll see you tomorrow after you get back from your team bonding outing."

"I don't understand why we have to go hiking, why can't we just have a movie night or something less intense?" 

"Less intense? What are you like 60, Gordon? Hiking is fun and I'd rather be doing it than conditioning drills." 

"She's got a point, Babe, now stop being a lazy bum and enjoy your hike through my beautiful home state; I will see you tomorrow." Mal walks over to Charlotte and they share a hug and then a kiss. 

"Love you, Mally." 

"Love you, too, C.J., now get some sleep." 

Mal smiles as she walks towards the door and leaves the two players to their own means. 

The next day after breakfast, the Cardinal players head up to their rooms to get ready to spend a few hours enjoying the views of the surrounding area. 

Charlotte heads back down to the lobby and waits for their bus to arrive. Having a few minutes to kill she decides to log on and see the latest sales number for the Known Trilogy, "Holy Shit!" 

"Language, Charlie." 

Charlotte looks up and smiles at Tierna and A.J., "Sorry." 

"It's okay, not like we haven't heard those words before, just need to maintain the professional appearance in public."

"For sure. You guys looking forward to the hike?" 

"We go hiking in Cali all the time, it's good exercise and gives us some alone time away from the fam, plus the scenery is gorgeous. I take it you aren't a fan?" 

"It's not that I'm not a fan, it's just that when I was younger my Dad and I used to go camping and hiking all the time in the Adirondacks, Algonquin Park and even Gatineau Park and I really haven't done it much since he died because it was kind of our thing, you know?"

Tierna and A.J. both nod, "I'm sure that your Dad would want you to continue to enjoy the outdoors even if it's no longer possible to do it with him, Charlie. You can hang with T and me today, promise we'll keep things light and you'll enjoy yourself." 

"Thanks, A.J." 

They players board the bus and make the short drive to the trailhead and after being subjected to a lecture by the coaching staff about safety they make their way off and in small groups start the trek. 

The longer they walk, the more Charlotte begins to enjoy herself and take in the scenery, even stopping to take some pictures along the way.

"This place is amazing, now I understand why Mal doesn't like to be away from here for long periods of time." 

"Nice to see you smiling, Charlie, but we have to keep moving." 

A few hours later the team returns to their hotel and after having something to eat most of the players opt to return to their rooms and crash for a bit. Charlotte makes her way back to her room and messages Mal. 

New Message

C.J.: The hike was amazing, I'm exhausted, crashing for a bit, call you later. ❤️

She heads into the washroom and cleans herself up before laying down and drifting quickly off to sleep. 

Waking up a little while later, Charlotte tries to turn over only to find that she is no longer alone in her bed. 

"Lan, what the heck! Why aren't you in your own bed?" 

She hears laughing and turns her head to find Mal sitting on the opposite bed watching them. 

Alana gets up and her and Mal high five. "You think that's funny do you, Pugh? Remember revenge is a dish best served cold." 

Alana puts her hands up in the air, "I was only doing what I was told to, leave me out of it." 

Charlotte shakes her head, "That's not going to happen, if I were you Cook, I'd sleep with one eye open." 

Mal laughs, "So, I heard that you enjoyed the hike after all." 

Charlotte reaches up and pulls Mal down on top of her, "I did, but I would have enjoyed it more if you'd been with me." They kiss and smile at each other. 

"Hello! still in the room!" 

"Doors that way, Lan." 

"I'm not going anywhere I have an assignment to work on, so keep it in your pants both of you!"

Mal and Charlotte lay down on the bed together holding each other and sharing a few kisses and touches as they talk. 

"You're still planning on coming to Cali, right?" 

Mal smiles and kisses her eyebrow, "Yes, there are plenty of girls in the area that I can train with and I really miss my girlfriend and want to be closer to her." 

"You miss your girlfriend, huh? She's extremely lucky to have you and she misses you so much it hurts." 

They kiss, doing their best to keep things family-friendly as they are aware of an audience only a few feet away from them. 

Mal looks at her, leans in and kisses her before climbing away from her and the bed and slipping on her shoes.

"Where are you going?"

Mal smiles. 

Mal leaves Charlotte sitting on the bed pondering what she could possibly be up to. 

Her phone buzzes and when she looks at the screen the question is answered and she smiles. 

New Message

Mally: Meet me in room 211, now!

Charlotte doesn't bother taking the time to even get Alana's attention as she puts her shoes on and grabs what she needs before making her way quickly to the room and knocking. 

Mal opens the door and pulls her inside, before locking the door and then making her way over to the bed.

After spending the next while getting reacquainted with each other's body they lay wrapped in each other on the bed, falling asleep with smiles on their faces.

They wake up to Mal's stomach rumbling and laugh. "I guess dessert wasn't enough to fill you." 

"Guess not." 

They take their time getting redressed and making themselves presentable before leaving the room holding hands, "I can't believe you just rented a room for us to have sex. I kinda feel cheap now, tell me did you pay for a couple of hours or the entire night?"

Mal shakes her head and laughs, "I seem to recall you saying that you don't have a curfew tonight, so we are going to make use of it tonight, Baby, cause it's been way too long!" 

"Ooooo." 


	41. Chapter 41

Sunday morning rolls around and after spending most of the last two days with Mal and in her arms, Charlotte's bed feels cold and empty when the alarm goes off. 

Alana gets up and heads into the bathroom to complete her morning routine as Charlotte continues to lay in place, not feeling overly inclined to get moving as of yet.

She closes her eyes and is on the verge of falling back asleep when she's hit with a face full of cold water and screams out, "WHAT THE HELL, LAN!" 

"Get up! We don't have any extra time this morning remember, Sundays mean early kickoff." 

"Urgh, I'm beginning to hate Sunday games!"

Alana shrugs, "I'd rather an early kickoff than another late one, it totally screwed up my beauty sleep schedule." 

"You could sleep non-stop and never be beautiful, Lan." 

"Shut up and get dressed before I refill my cup." 

Charlotte reluctantly peels back the now wet bedding, gets up, collects her team gear and heads into the bathroom to get changed and make herself presentable.

When she steps back out of the bathroom, the room is empty and she assumes that Alana got tired of waiting and went ahead down to grab something to eat, so she follows suit and makes her there as well. 

She loads up a plate and takes a seat with her teammates, "Alana was telling us that your future in-laws are going to be attending the game today, you nervous about screwing up in front of them, Charlie?" 

"Nah, I'm perfectly capable of screwing up regardless of whether Horace and Karen are in attendance or not." 

"That's for sure, how many turnovers were you responsible for last game?" 

"We can't all be perfect like you, Lan."

"Okay, you two save your bantering for later and get eating!" 

"Yes, Captain!"

A few hours later, the Cardinal arrives at Prentup Field to take on Colorado. They head inside and go about completing their pre-game routines and getting changed into their warmups. 

Charlotte is listening to her usual pregame playlist when she gets a notification of a message and picks up her phone to see it on the screen. 

New Message

Mally: Good luck today, baby. See you afterward, Love you 💋

C.J.: ❤️

After sending the message she gets back to completing her routine with her teammates and waits for the calm to take over the room as they edge closer to the game and turn to focusing on the task at hand. 

As they head out for pregame, Charlotte is surprised by the number of people already in the stands and cheering as their herd of Buffaloes makes their way out to the field. 

They complete their warmups and head back into change into their game uniforms, listening to the coaches spiel before retaking the field to start the game. 

4 minutes after the first whistle, Charlotte gets the ball and seeing an opening sends the first shot of the day on goal, the keeper is able to make the routine save and rolls the ball out to her defender as the teams reset. 

The Cardinal as has become their norm continue to dominate both the possession and shots. Charlotte sees another shot blocked by a defender's leg and then her third attempt of the half hitting the Colorado keeper in the chest.

Finally, they breakthrough in the 31st minute when Jaye sends a cross over to Civana with the latter getting her laces through it and sending the one-timer straight to the netting.

Charlotte stands on the touchline taking a drink as she waits for the second half of the game to start. 

It starts out in much the same fashion as the first one with the Cardinal peppering the Colorado goal and keeper with shots. 

Colorado sets up for the corner in the Cardinal end and as the ball comes into the box, A.J. is off her line quickly and grabs it out of the air, landing and sending a long throw out to Jordan, who takes off with it, Charlotte is able to catch up to her and gives her an option. She slots the ball through and Charlotte turns on the afterburners, catching up to it and sending a hard shot just inside the far post to put them on top by two in the 56th minute. 

They celebrate and Charlotte hugs Jordan, "Thanks for making me look good in front of my girl." 

In the 73rd minute, they add another goal as Civana collects her second on the day after heading the ball past the opposition. 

Shortly after the goal, the Cardinal have a scare as Colorado player Taylor Kornieck finds space and sends a blazing shot on goal, thankfully A.J. is all over it and tips the ball wide with her big mitts. 

As the game progresses, Charlotte has another shot blocked before she finds herself being subbed out and watching the remainder of the game from the sidelines. 

Colorado has a few chances in the final moments of the game, but the Cardinal are able to walk away with another victory and clean sheet on the season, thanks to a couple stellar saves from their keeper. 

After they celebrate as a team and congratulate the opposition on a good match, Charlotte looks around for Mal and her folks. Seeing them she walks over hugs them all before placing a kiss on Mal's cheek. 

"Good game and nice to see you can still outrun the competition."

Charlotte laughs, "I do my best, I really wanted to score a goal for you guys so that probably gave me a little extra energy out there today."

Charlotte hears her name being called, "I have to go, but we are still on to get something to eat before my flight, right?" 

"Of course, we wouldn't miss it." 

Charlotte hugs them again, before jogging back over to where her teammates are. 

Mal laughs as Charlotte sprays an unsuspecting Alana with her water bottle, resulting in the latter chasing the former with her own bottle. 

Karen watches her daughter's face light up as she watches them run around. "You really do love her, don't you?" 

"More than anything in the world, Mom." 

The three Pugh's head out of the stadium and await a call from Charlotte. 

Charlotte lays on the ground laughing up a storm and trying to covering her face from Alana, "You started it by throwing water on me this morning!"

"Truce?" 

"Truce. Now, help me up." Charlotte reaches her hand out to Alana, who laughs as she gets up and walks away. 

They head inside and complete their cooldown and get cleaned up, before heading out for lunch before their flight back home. 

Charlotte messages Mal and lets her know where they are and soon she and her parents arrive and they sit down at a table across the room from the team so they can have a bit of privacy. 

"How are things at school and with your family, Charlie?" 

"I'm really enjoying my classes and learning lots; Mom and Mackenzie were here a couple of weeks back and took in some of our games. It was nice having them here if only for a few days, gets lonely being on the other side of the country from my family and friends. I'm just glad that Mal is going to close by now that her season is done because I've missed her so much." 

"Mal said that you were looking into a couple of options, were you able to find a suitable apartment?" 

"Yes, Sir, it difficult as most of the options close by are reserved for Stanford students and or faculty members but I was able to find a one-bedroom that is about 15 minutes from me. They are letting me rent it on a 6-month lease rather than a year-long one but I'm paying a premium for it as it's in a secure building with amenities." 

"Good to hear. Out of curiosity do any of your teammates know about your situation?" 

"No, I live within a budget so it doesn't set off any alarms or lead to any questions that I'm not ready to answer." 

"You know Charlie, I finally got around to reading your books and while I admit they wouldn't normally be something that I would even consider reading they were very good and I can understand why there are so many copies being sold worldwide. Although, I must also admit that I was really pulling for Sarah and Nathaniel to get together, but I understand why you did what you did." 

Mal leans over towards Charlotte, "I had to explain to her why you killed her off." 

"Without sacrifice, there can be no victory or in this case, freedom." 

Mal leans over and kisses her cheek and Charlotte smiles. 

They talk for a little longer until it is time for Charlotte and the rest of the Cardinal to make their way to the airport. 

Charlotte hugs both Horace and Karen tightly before lifting Mal up off the ground with a hug and then kissing her gently, "I'll see you soon beautiful. Love you, Mally." They kiss again, "Love you, C.J. I'll see you in two days." 

Charlotte takes a step back as some of her Cardinal teammates and Mal's US ones hug her girlfriend before they leave. 

She fights back tears as she slowly walks away from Mal and waves a little wave bye before walking out the door to the awaiting bus. 

Mal turns to face her parents and sees them fighting tears, "You guys, ok?" 

"It's just so nice to see how much the two of you clearly love each other and it reminds us of when we were young and in love." 

Her parents kiss, "We may not be young anymore but we're still very much in love."

"Ewww, can we go now?" 

"Lead the way, Baby Pugh." 

"Dad, I'm far from being a baby." 

"You'll always be our baby, kid, now let's go." 

Two days later and Charlotte is anxiously awaiting Mal's flight landing with a dozen red roses in one hand and her girlfriend's favourite drink in the other. 

"What no sign?" Charlotte turns and smiles at Mal, "I thought you plane wasn't supposed to land for another 10 minutes." 

"Got here early, it happens sometimes. I'm assuming that coffee and the roses are for me." 

Charlotte nods and reaches around to hug Mal before passing off the drink and flowers. "I can't believe that you're finally here." 

"Well believe it. Now, let's get my suitcase and then you can show me my new apartment or should I say our apartment." 

"I like it when you say our, but just remember I need to live on campus, so as much I want to be able to spend every night with you I can't." 

They make the walk and collect Mal's suitcase and Charlotte pulls it along behind her and carries Mal's bag as she drinks her coffee. 

As Charlotte loads the bags in the trunk of Alana's car the grin on her face magnifies with the thought that the woman she loves is now finally in the same area code as her. 

They make the drive to the apartment building and Charlotte pulls in to a parking spot. "The spot is included in the rent." 

"I don't have a car." 

"Maybe you can get one of your sponsors to hook you up with one while you here." 

"That's actually a good idea, I'll get my agent on that tomorrow." 

Mal is led inside the high rise and over to the elevator, Charlotte pushes the button and the doors close as Mal watches the number on the display get bigger until it stops at the 11th floor. 

Charlotte looks at Mal, "I took it as a good omen that the apartment was on the 11th floor." 

They make their way out of the elevator, and down the hall to the unit, where Charlotte takes out the keys and unlocks the door backing up so Mal can go in ahead of her and look around. 

"Wow! This place is insane, are you sure you can afford this, Babe, it must be costing you a mint." 

"It is, but totally worth it to see that smile and look on your face. I went ahead and did some shopping earlier, so there is already food in the kitchen, along with dishes, pots and pans, coffee maker, slow cooker etc. We can go out tomorrow and pick up anything else that might be needed. Oh, come with me, you need to see the view from the balcony." 

Charlotte wraps her arms around Mal from behind her and Mal leans back against her chest as they look out from the balcony. They stand there for a few minutes and just take everything in before Charlotte's stomach starts rumbling. 

"Did you forget to eat again?" 

"Yeah, I guess I was so excited and trying to make sure everything was perfect for you that I forgot to eat, how about you get used to your new surroundings and I'll get us some food. I don't feel like cooking tonight."

Mal and her kiss, "Love you." "Love you, too; I'll be back shortly." 

Charlotte heads out to get them something to eat as Mal gets used to her new surroundings. As promised she Facetimes her Mom to let her know she's arrived and then turns the phone around to give her an apartment tour. 

"This place is amazing, Mom, it has it's own pool and gym and rec area; I feel guilty about how much it's costing C.J." 

"Then perhaps you should consider offering her some money to help cover the costs of everything." 

"I know her Mom, she won't take it; she doesn't care about the money." 

"Leave it to you to fall in love with a millionaire, who doesn't want to be one." 

"C.J. writing the books was never and will never be about making money from them, hence why she is in no hurry to claim them as her work in the public eye. They are personal to her, a lasting connection to her father and his memory. Now, I should go and start figuring out where everything is, talk soon, Mom. Love you." 

"Love you." 

Mal selects a playlist on her phone and hits the speaker option, listening to the tunes as she begins the process of putting away her stuff in the apartment. She dances around the bedroom unbeknownst to the fact that her girlfriend is in the doorway smiling as she watches her move around. 

As she turns she catches a glimpse of Charlotte in the doorway and stops dancing, "How long have you been spying on me?" 

"I wasn't spying, I was watching my beautiful girlfriend work it and deciding whether or not I should join in." 

"If you're good you can help me work it, later. Right now, let's eat!" 

After eating and tidying their mess, they sit on the couch and relax with each other. 

"So, I may have been a little presumptive and got some of that aromatherapy stuff you liked and put it in the bathroom, how would you like to try out the tub?" 

"That sounds amazing, how is it that you know exactly what I always need." Charlotte kisses her temple before standing up, "Stay here and let me get things ready, I'll call you when it's time." 

Mal sits back and plays with her phone until she hears her name being called and makes the walk down the hallway to the bathroom. 

She smiles when she sees candles surrounding the tub and Charlotte already covered in the bubble bath. 

"I can't believe you started without me!" Mal strips out of her clothes, dropping them in a pile on the floor.

"You were taking too long." 

Mal climbs into the hot water and lays back against Charlotte's chest, "I've missed us having baths together." 

"Me too, although Ash mentioned that she would be willing to take your place if necessary." 

"Remind me to have a conversation with Sanchez when I see her and tell her to stay the hell away from you."

Charlotte laughs, "It's sexy when you get upset and don't worry, Ash is busy getting busy with a teammate so we've barely talked recently." 

"Don't suppose you are going to tell me who, are you?" 

"Not my place to tell you, but perhaps you should message Jeff and ask." 

"Wait, are you telling me Ash and Jessie are together?" 

"I never said anything about who's with who." 

"I'm so messaging her tomorrow. Sanchez, really? she could do so much better."

"Hey, need I remind you that you are talking about one of my best friends, right now." 

"Sorry, not, sorry." 

"Make it up to me." Mal feels her breasts being gently squeezed. "Bath time's over Gordon, it's time to break in that fancy looking bed; please tell me there's new bedding on it." 

"Yes, everything is new. I wouldn't play you like that, Baby."

Mal climbs out of the now cold water and looks at Charlotte, "You coming?" before walking into the bedroom. 

"Not yet, I'm not, but very soon both of us will be." Charlotte thinks as she climbs out, takes the time to pull the plug and then grabs a towel before following Mal's lead. 

After using the towel, to dry each other off just enough, they make their way to the bed, throwing the pillows to the floor as their mouths quickly and hungrily join. They continue kissing as Charlotte lets her fingers do the work, rubbing and teasing until she knows Mal can't take much more and she allows her girlfriend to find her much needed release on the tip of her tongue as she licks, sucks and fucks her until Mal digs her nails into her shoulders and pushes her deeper into her core and with a ripple she releases her fluids. 

As Mal lays back trying to catch her breath, Charlotte lays down beside her and kisses her, "You know if I had to give up ice cream for one thing in the world, it would be to have the taste of you forever on my tongue." 

"In that case, I'd love to taste myself on your tongue, because it must be good if you'd give up ice cream for it." 

"Mmm, ice cream sounds good, right now." Charlotte licks her lips as Mal climbs on top of her, "You already had your dessert, baby, and now it's my turn." 

"Oh God, Mally, keep doing that!" 


	42. Chapter 42

With a little over 10 minutes remaining against Washington, both teams are still looking to break the scoreless draw and avoid going to the dreaded extra time. 

Charlotte retakes her place on the field and almost immediately is fed the perfect ball but gets a bad touch and sends it wide of the goal. 

A few minutes later, the Cardinal advance on the counter and Tierna sends a low cross in which is redirected by Kyra Carusa past the Washington keeper and allowing them to maintain their winning ways by the slimmest of margins. 

After the game, Charlotte heads back to the dorm and collects what she needs for the following few days before heading to the apartment where Mal is waiting for her with food and open arms. 

She unlocks the door and lets herself in, locking it back up behind her before heading to the bedroom and finding Mal watching a movie. She puts her bag down and kisses Mal on the cheek. 

"Hey, beautiful." 

"Hey, yourself. Good game, Baby." Charlotte takes a deep breath and releases her frustration. Mal looks at her, "Sit, talk, what's on your mind?" 

Charlotte sits and shrugs, "Nothing much, just frustrated with my inability to finish today." 

Mal wraps her arms around her and kisses her neck, "I know it's going to continue to eat you up, so how about tomorrow we hit the pitch together and get your confidence back."

"Thanks, Mally. I'm going to get something to eat, do you want anything?" 

"I'm good, Babe." They share a quick kiss before Charlotte makes her way out to the kitchen to nuke some leftovers. 

After eating Charlotte gets herself changed and climbs into bed beside her girlfriend. 

"Did you set an alarm for the morning?" 

"Yeah." 

They share a few kisses before snuggling up together and drifting off to sleep. 

The next morning the alarm sounds out and even though she really doesn't want to get up out of the nice warm, comfy bed or leave her beautiful girlfriend behind, Charlotte knows the importance of maintaining her recovery schedule with the team. 

She shuts off the beeping and then lays back before leaning over and kissing Mal on the cheek. 

"Morning." 

"Morning, beautiful, I'm heading out for recovery I'll be back in a few hours. Go back to sleep." Charlotte kisses her once more before climbing out from under the covers and heading into the bathroom to complete her morning routine and then getting changed. 

She repacks her bag and then takes a look back towards the bed where Mal has already fallen back asleep and smiles before making her way out to the kitchen and making a quick bite to eat along with grabbing a coffee and her water bottle to go.

She finishes up her recovery and then eats with some of her teammates before making the trek back to the apartment. 

She finds Mal talking on the phone and smiles. 

"Hey Babe, Mom says to say Hi." 

Charlotte waves at Mal, "Hi Mom!" causing Mal to laugh at her. 

Neither feeling inclined to go anywhere and being quite comfortable laying with each other watching some television, they opt to put off their mini-training session until the following day. 

As Mal and Charlotte finish tying up their cleats the next day they hear a voice, "We're not late are we?"

Mal smiles, "Right on time, as always Jeffrey. I'd say it's nice to see you Sanchez but, it really isn't." 

Charlotte jumps up from the bench and wraps her arms around her bestie from UCLA, "What are you guys doing here?" 

"Mal called me and said your ego needed some inflating, so Jeff and I drove down to help out; but don't tell our teammates, okay? If they ask, we're umm, surfing together."

Charlotte laughs, "We could always go surfing instead if you want." 

"Nope we came here to school you in how to play ball, not hit the waves; so let's get on with it." 

For the next, while they play around, engaging in some 1v1, 2v2 and finally 3v1 drills and games. They sit down on the field and laugh and chat upon calling it quits and then heading back to Mal's apartment so they can shower and have something to eat. 

Ashley looks around, "This place is insane, how much it set you back a month, Mal?" 

Mal looks over at her girlfriend, "Enough, but I was able to work out a deal with them to make it a bit more affordable. Prob helps that the owners are soccer fans."

Charlotte smiles and nods, knowing that it should be enough info to dissuade any further questions from their friend. 

As Mal and Jessie get caught up on the latest gossip, Charlotte and Ashley do the same. 

"So, you and Fleming, huh? How's that working out so far?" 

"So far, so good; we're keeping it light and having fun with each other. I see you and Mal are still going strong." 

Charlotte smiles as she watches Mal talking and laughing across the room. "Yeah, we are, stronger than ever now that we're back together. Not going to lie as happy as I am for Mal and her achieving her dream of playing pro ball, it's been extremely difficult being away from her for long periods of time; she always seems to know what to see or do to help me when I doubt myself but all the words in the world fail in comparison to the way I feel in her arms." 

"OMG, Just propose already!" 

"It's not that simple and you know it, Ash." 

"Yeah." An alarm sounds out and Ashley looks at her phone. "Crap, we need to hit the road, it's getting late. Jess, we need to go!" Charlotte reaches over and hugs her friend, "Thank you so much for coming, don't be a stranger." 

"Promise, but don't forget technology works both ways and you'll see me very soon running past your slow ass on the pitch when we play." 

"Who you calling slow? I'm down for a race anytime, anywhere, Sanchez." They both laugh and hug each other, "See you soon and remember we were surfing." 

"Next time we will definitely catch some waves together." 

"Deal."

"Thanks, Ash." 

"What good is having a bestie who won't give you a kick in the ass when needed? The way I figure you would be out the door and in the car if I needed you, so this was just me holding my end up."

All four of the players stand up and hug each other before the UCLA contingent heads out. 

Charlotte hugs Mal and kisses her, "Thank you for doing that for me." 

"You're very welcome. You do realize why I did it, right?" 

"Yeah, you brought Ash here to chill me out, because I've become my own worst critic and I needed to see that there was someone out there who's a worse baller than me." Charlotte laughs as she says the last part, causing Mal to laugh as well. 

"That'll work. But really you need to learn to chill out and take things as they come, got it?" 

"Yeah, I love you, Mal." Mal smiles, "I love you, too, C.J."

After holding each other and sharing a few more kisses Charlotte packs her stuff up and after saying goodnight and goodbye to Mal reluctantly makes her way back to the dorm knowing that she has an early morning session to attend before classes. 

Thursday arrives and Mal and Charlotte hold hands, chat and laugh as they make their way towards the stadium in advance of the 6:00 kick-off against the visiting team from the University of Oregon. 

Arriving outside the door, they hug and share a short kiss, "Good luck, Baby." 

Charlotte smiles, "Love you." 

"Love you, too and remember to stop overthinking everything and just react."

"I'll do my best. I'll see you afterwards, beautiful." 

Mal smiles and waves as she walks away knowing that Charlotte won't leave first. Charlotte watches her girlfriend and then makes her way inside to get ready. 

A short time later after completing warmups and listening to the coaches' spiel, the players make their way back out for the opening kickoff. 

With the first whistle blown Charlotte feels good and knows that Mal's distraction technique worked as she can't stop smiling as the game goes on. 

Mal sits in the stands surrounding by Cardinal faithful and cheers her girlfriend as she carries the ball downfield before being fouled about 30 yards out from the goal. As the Ducks' wall gets set, Charlotte approaches her Captain and asks to take the kick, knowing that it's within her striking range. Andi nods and backs off allowing Charlotte to stand over the ball. Once the referee blows the whistle she runs and strikes a laser beyond the wall and into the top corner of the goal to give her team first blood in the 19th minute. 

She celebrates with her teammates and then looks towards the stands where Mal is standing and cheering and smiles, before tapping her chest over her heart. 

A few minutes later Charlotte takes another shot from distance but doesn't get enough behind it to trouble the opposing keeper and then has another attempt blocked by a defender.

In the 40th minute, McGrady carries the ball before lobbing it towards the box, where Mariah flicks it on and Charlotte anticipating it puts her laces on the ball and sends it quickly to the netting as the keeper doesn't even have time to react to it. 

As the whistle blows to indicate half time, they jog over and collect some fluids and their breath. Charlotte searches for Mal and smiles as her girlfriend blows a kiss her way. 

"Enough with all the cuteness, some of us are still alone." 

Charlotte wraps her arm around Alana, "You're never alone, you always got me." 

As the second half begins the Cardinal players are well aware that one of their own is sitting on a brace and it goes without saying that they are going to do their best to help her complete the trick. 

In the 56th minute, Charlotte comes oh so close but cranks her shot off the post, but the Cardinal gets lucky as Carusa is following up and is able to get her head on the rebound and put them up by 3. 

Kyra and Charlotte hug, "Sorry, that should've been yours." 

Charlotte smiles, "It's all good, but I got next!" 

They jog back to the midpoint laughing as they retake their positions. 

In the 68th minute, strikes an off-balance left-footed shot towards goal that takes a favourable bounce that handicaps the keeper and skirts past her into the goal to complete Charlotte's hat trick. Her teammates swarm her on the ground and celebrate before helping her up and getting ready for the restart. Charlotte once again looks for Mal and taps her chest as she finds her. 

With the trick completed, Charlotte is subbed out at the next break in play and finishes up watching from the sidelines as the Cardinal hold the 4 - 0 lead and take the victory. 

After congratulating the opposition, Charlotte makes a beeline to the stands to see Mal and wraps her arms around her girlfriend and sneaks in a quick kiss. 

"I knew you had it in you, that was one hell of a game Babe." 

"Yeah, I was having fun out there tonight, I stopped overthinking everything and just went with what I was feeling and reacted." 

"Good, now keep doing that for the rest of the season and you'll be all good." 

"Thanks, Mally." 

"You're welcome, now go get cooled down and call me later. Love you." 

"Love you too, Captain Mally." 

Charlotte rejoins her teammates for the postgame as Mal heads back to the apartment. 

After completing her cooldown and showering, Charlotte isn't feeling like going back to the dorm, so after letting Alana know she makes the trek to Mal's apartment and lets herself in. 

Not immediately seeing Mal, she walks around before deciding to check the bathroom and finding her gorgeous girlfriend in a tub full of bubbles. 

"Mind if I join you?" 

Mal jumps at the sound of the voice, "I thought you were going back to the dorm tonight." 

"I was but changed my mind because I felt like celebrating with you." 

"Celebrating, huh? What did you have in mind?" 

"How about you meet me in the bedroom and I'll show you." 

Charlotte turns and walks out of the bathroom taking off her clothes as she does so so that she's completely naked as Mal joins her wrapped in a towel. 

Charlotte takes the towel and throws it on the floor, "Bed now!"

Mal knowing the tone and look does as instructed, laying down on the bed as Charlotte straddles her legs and they begin kissing, squeezing and touching each other. Mal keeps her eyes locked on the woman she loves as Charlotte leaves her mark on her collarbone before moving down to her breasts and having her fill of them as grinds against Mal's core before sliding down and taking possession of what belongs to her. 

Mal moans and squirms underneath her as she curls her fingers and strokes her insides while swirling her tongue over and around the nerve endings and sucking away on the extremely sensitive area. 

Once Charlotte knows she's close she backs away and reaches over into the drawer pulling out one of their favourite toys. She retakes her position and ensures her girlfriend is wet and ready before inserting the toy and teasing her with it while she gets into position and inserts the opposite end of it, letting out a loud moan as her insides are stretched. 

Her and Mal scissor and pound each other with the dildo filling the room and apartment with their moans as they pleasure and bring each other to a hard orgasm. As the feelings take over they lock eyes before momentarily losing control. 

They lay on the bed both breathing heavy and trying to catch their breath, as they move closer to each other and join their lips and mouths in a gentle, yet passionate kiss. 

Separating they look at each other and smile. Charlotte sits up on the side of the bed, "So, I guess I can go now." 

"So, that's how you're gonna play it, huh, Gordon, love me and then leave me."

Charlotte leans over and kisses her, "Never, I was just getting up to grab some water; I'll be right back, beautiful." 

Mal smiles and watches Charlotte's backside as she walks out to the kitchen and then returns with a couple of bottles of water for them.

After having a drink and completing their nighttime routines, they settle in each other's arms and fall quickly and blissfully to sleep until Charlotte's alarm goes off way too early for Mal's liking the next morning and she heads off to training and then classes. 

Sunday afternoon comes around and the Cardinal are back on the field taking on the Beavers from Oregon State. 

The Cardinal hit the netting with their first shot of the game after Charlotte sends in a cross and Kyra heads it home to put them on top less than 5 minutes into it.

She adds to her ever-growing goal tally in the 32nd minute after finishing a ball across the box from Jordan for their second mark on the day. 

Civana puts them up by 3 in the 40th minute and Charlotte heads over to the sideline as the second round of subs run on the field. 

Back on the field to start the second half, it seems as though the ball is magnetized to Charlotte as she sends a shot wide and another is blocked before Tierna sends a low cross in and she one times it for her second of the game and the Cardinal's fourth on the day. 

A few minutes later, Jordan lobs the ball in from the flank and watches as a miscommunication between two Oregon State players leads to the ball ending up in their own net, with the own goal the Cardinal head into the last 20 minutes of the game with a commanding 5 - 0 lead.

As time winds down Charlotte stands on the line wanting to get back on the field and she gets her chance with minutes left in the game when A.J. stands tall and makes the save in their end before sending a long ball to Charlotte who outmanoeuvres the defender with a nutmeg and ends up one on one with the keeper. The keeper having no choice comes out to challenge and Charlotte having lots of space lobs the ball over her and watches as lands in the netting. She drops to her knees as she is swarmed by her teammates. 

After the game, Alana walks over with Charlotte to Mal, "Whatever you guys did or didn't do, keep doing it! Because there is no way we are losing to UCLA next game, not when we have the superstar here firing on all cylinders again." 

Mal hugs Charlotte, "You do realize that in the past two games you've scored the same amount of goals that it took me all season to score, right?" 

Charlotte smiles and shrugs, "Someone reminded me that soccer is a game and meant to be fun, not complicated and since then things seem to be working in my favour. Remind me to send the recap of our last two games to Ash, as well as a thank you for surfing with me." 

Mal laughs, "Nope, I'm not getting involved in any of your shenanigans. Now, go get cleaned up and we can grab something to eat before you get back to doing your assignment." 

"Okay, I'll see you shortly, don't miss me too much." 


	43. Chapter 43

Mal and Charlotte hold each other, not wanting to separate until necessary as the Cardinal players walk around them and climb on board the bus for the trip down the coast for games against UCLA and USC.

"I have to go Mally." 

"I don't want you, too." 

Charlotte looks at her, "I'm only going to be gone for a couple of days, Babe." 

"I know, it's just, I sleep so much better when you're with me then when I'm all alone." 

"We can Facetime and I'll be with you until you fall asleep, okay?" 

Mal takes a breath, "Okay, remember to have fun out there. I love you, C.J." 

"I love you, too, Mally." 

They share another hug and kiss before Charlotte finally makes her way on to the bus and takes a seat beside Alana. She watches out the window as the bus pulls away, and Mal stands on the curb and waves as it drives away. 

Alana wraps her arm around her, roomie, "Want to watch a movie?" 

"Yeah." 

"I thought you would be excited about playing against Sanchez." 

"I am, I just hate being away from Mal, it's like a part of me is missing when we're apart." 

Alana shakes her head, "I hope someday I find someone who will love me as much as the two of you love each other."

"Don't worry, Lan, wherever I end up, I'll always make sure there's a bedroom there for you. You might have to share with Ash, though." 

Alana laughs and playfully pushes her away before they settle into watching a movie for the first part of the trip.

After stopping to get something to eat, they finish out the drive and pull up in front of the accommodations for the next few nights. The room cards are passed out, and the players make their way to their rooms for the evening. 

Once Charlotte and Alana are in their room and settled, she pulls out her phone and messages Mal. 

New Message

C.J.: Hey beautiful, finally at the hotel. I'm going to work on an assignment for a bit and then call you once I'm ready for bed. ❤️

Mally: ❤️🤗 💋

With her eyes getting tired and heavy, Charlotte decides that perhaps it isn't the best idea for her to continue working on her assignment and closes everything up for the night. Walking over to the table, she put her glasses in their case before collecting a change of clothes and her toiletries and getting herself ready for bed. 

She looks over at the other bed and smiles when she notices that Alana has already fallen asleep with her earbuds in while watching Netflix. She collects Alana's computer and puts it on the desk, so it doesn't accidentally get knocked off the bed during the night, before gently removing her earbuds and placing them on top of it. 

Climbing under the covers, she Facetimes Mal and finds her girlfriend already in bed reading. Mal smiles at her, and when Charlotte indicates that Alana is sleeping, she speaks softly. 

They talk for a few minutes as Mal finishes getting ready for bed and then slides under the covers propping the phone up so they can see each other as they close their eyes and fall asleep together. 

The next morning, Alana and Charlotte are up in time to join their teammates for breakfast and a team meeting before being allowed some free time until it's time to depart for the stadium. 

New Message:

Charlie: Where you at?

Ash: Class for another hour. 

Charlie: Wanna hang afterwards?

Ash: Can't today, in case you weren't aware we have an important game this evening, and we have a meeting this aft to assess the competition. Any insight into them?

Charlie: Yeah, they are going to kick your ass! You have an off day tomorrow?

Ash: Not going to happen! After recovery, I'm free. Do you want to hit up the Getty Museum, I know you're into that type of stuff. 

Charlie: For sure, do we need tickets?

Ash: We have to pre-book a time, let me see what times they have available. 2:00 work for you?

Charlie: It should. 

Ash: K, I booked us in. I probably should get back to learning now. 

Charlie: Learning? Is that code for watching Netflix?

Ash: You know me too well. See you on the field, Cardinal. 

Charlie: Later, Bruin.

Charlotte decides rather than heading out for a bit with her teammates just to stay back at the hotel and finish her assignment. 

After double-checking everything, she saves it and then decides to shut it down and enjoy the quiet for a little while before Alana gets back. 

"Ring, ring" 

She turns over and looks at the screen before answering

"Hey, Mom, what's up?" 

"Was just calling to check-in and see how you're doing."

"I'm good, just finished an assignment and was taking it easy before our game against UCLA. What are you up to?"

"Actually, I'm getting ready to go out on a date with that guy Paul, you know the one I told you about." 

"He's a teacher, right?" 

"Yes. Charlie, I really like him." 

Charlotte smiles hearing her Mom say that "I'm happy for you, Mom. Has he met Kenz, yet?" 

"No, she doesn't know about him, yet." 

"Why not?" 

"Because I'm not ready to deal with her questioning him about everything including his intentions." 

"Yeah, I get that, she definitely crossed the line when it came to that guy you work with." 

"Uh-huh, he avoids me at all costs now, which is extremely difficult considering how small the office actually is." 

"His loss, but realistically how long do you think it would have taken for you to find out that he cheated on his wife with his former secretary at his old job." 

"I know and I appreciate how much the two of you look out for me; I just wish that your sister would focus more on her personal life and less on sticking her nose in mine." 

Charlotte laughs, "I'm glad that Kenz loves Mal, so the only ribbing I get from her is about when I'm gonna drop to one knee." 

"And when is that going to be?" 

"You too?"

She hears her Mom laugh, "I know that you've already been looking at rings." 

"Damn, Kenz needs to learn to keep her mouth shut. Should I be concerned about what else the two of you have talked about?" 

"No, we mostly talk about how proud we are of you and how well the books are doing." 

Her Mom cuts out for a moment and then comes back, "Charlie, I have to go, I'm getting another call. I love you and good luck, tonight. Also, call your Grandparents!"

"I will, bye Mom, love you, too."

After checking the time, Charlotte makes the call to her Grandparents. 

"Ring, ring"

"Hello?" 

"Hey Grams, it's Charlotte." 

"Oh, Charlotte, dear, how are you?" 

"I'm good, how are you and Papa?"

"Your Papa is in the dog house currently, he fixed the computer and is currently at Best Buy having them refix it, so we can hopefully watch your game." 

"I wish you would let me buy you a new computer, that one is ancient." 

"No need to spend money on something new, if the old one is still working." 

"How did your appointment with the Doctor, go?"

"That kid thinks he knows better than I do and told me that I shouldn't be driving anymore." 

"Grams, you were caught driving down a pathway rather than the road. You could have hit or hurt someone or yourself. I have to agree with him, as much as it sucks, I think you should do as he says as your eyes aren't going to get any better. Please, Grams, I love you and don't want anything to happen to you." 

"I love you, too, Charlotte. So when are you and Mal coming to visit us again?" 

"I'll come up and visit once I'm home for the holidays and I'm not sure about Mal, we really haven't discussed things that far ahead yet." 

"You've got yourself a good one in her, Charlotte, don't let her get away." 

"I don't intend to, Grams." 

"Good." 

"Grams, I should go now, my roommate just got back and we generally nap before our games. I love you, give Papa a hug and kiss for me and let him know that I'll gladly replace that old laptop of yours if Best Buy can't fix it." 

"I'll let him know, good luck tonight, Charlotte." 

"Thanks, Grams, I'll talk with you soon, Bye now."

"Bye, dear."

Charlotte sets her phone down and plugs it in before heading to the bathroom and then getting comfortable on the bed. 

"How was your outing with the girls?" 

"Good, until a few of them wanted to a clothes shop and had to look at everything."

"Yeah, that's one of the reasons I didn't want to go, also I wanted to finish my assignment and message Mal." 

"How's Mal doing?" 

"Okay, I assume, she hasn't answered my messages but I know she was planning on training today, so she could just be away from her phone. My Mom has a new guy in her life, he's a teacher."

"Did your sister set her up with this guy?"

Charlotte laughs, "No, she doesn't even know about Paul yet. Ready to nap?" 

"Always ready for a nap!" 

"Not something to be proud of Lan." 

"You're one to talk, Charlie." They both laugh before making sure that there is an alarm set and closing their eyes for a bit. 

When Charlotte wakes up she finds that Mal had responded to her messages while she was asleep. 

New Message

Mally: I was out training longer than expected and then grabbed a bite with the girls afterwards. Sorry, I missed your messages. Good luck tonight, baby. I'll be watching and cheering you on. Love you. 

C.J.: Love you, too. Just got up and getting ready to head out, will message you after the game. 

Mally: I'll be waiting. 💋

The bus pulls up outside of Drake Stadium, for what will most likely be the final match played between the longtime rivals on its field as the Bruins will be moving into the brand new Wallis Annenberg Stadium currently under construction nearby to start the next season. 

Most of the players keep their headphones on and in while completing their pregame routine and getting psyched for the marquee match against the #6 seeded team from UCLA.

After completing warmups and getting their final words from the coaches, the players make their way back out for the start of the game. 

Charlotte sees Ashley and they both stop and hug each other, "Good luck Ash, you're going to need it!" 

Play gets underway and right away, UCLA is on it with Hailie Mace sending a ball into the side netting just 14 seconds into the match. 

Stanford returns the favour a minute later as Jaye sends a shot of her own just wide of the UCLA goal as Teagan Micah can only watch on. 

The game continues to live up to it's billing as both teams work the ball up and down the field and UCLA looks to have taken the lead in the 26th minute when a Mace shot from distance strikes the underside of the crossbar and bounces down on the line. The referee deems the ball not to have completely crossed the line and allows play to continues with Stanford earning a corner kick on the ensuing turnover.

Charlotte sets up near the top of the box waiting for the ball to come in and then makes her move, but can't get to it. Alana is able to knock the bouncing ball over to Jordan and Jordan makes no mistake in finishing through the crowd to put the Cardinal up by 1 in the 27th minute. 

Shortly after the goal, Charlotte heads over to the sidelines and watches as the teams continue to generate chances but to no avail and the half ends with the Cardinal holding the one-goal lead. 

With playback underway in the second half, Kyra has a shot blocked by the body of a defender with the rebound knocked out for a throw-in right off the restart.

The ball comes back into play and Charlotte gets ahold of it and sets herself up for the long shot from the top of the box, but unfortunately for her, it's a play that Ashley has seen her make a few too many times and she gets in front of the hard shot knocking it out of harms' way, but paying the price as she goes down from taking the ball to the chest and needs attention. 

Charlotte watches on as her friend, returns to the game after taking a breather and getting a drink and acknowledges it with a head nod. 

In the 51st minute, the Cardinal comes oh so close to going up by two when Civana lobs the ball over Micah, who came out in an attempt to punch the ball away only to see McCullough get a foot on it and prevent it from crossing over. 

Seven minutes later in the 59th minute, Ashley finds space but is unable to finish as she sends her shot low and wide of the Cardinal goal. 

A.J. comes up with the big-time save directing a shot from Fleming over the crossbar and out of play to maintain the Cardinal lead and frustrate the Canadian. 

After Jaye sends another ball wide, both Charlotte and Ashley make their way to the sideline to watch and cheer as their teams exchange chances. Charlotte runs back on with minutes to spare but is unable to help her team double their lead before the final whistle sounds out. 

Charlotte celebrates the victory with her teammates and then walks over to where Ashley, Jessie and Alana are all talking and hugs the two UCLA players, "Good game, ladies." They talk for a few minutes before making the rounds to congratulate the rest of the players and Coaches. 

After cooling down, they head in to get changed before heading back to the hotel to shower and then eat as a team. 

New Message

Mally: Good game, Babe. 

C.J.: Thanks, what are you up to?

Mally: Was just catching up with Brianna while watching the game.

C.J.: Nice, How is she doing? 

Mally: Good. Are you getting together with Ash while you're there?

C.J.: Yeah, we made plans to go to a museum tomorrow afternoon. My turn in the shower, I'll talk to you later, babe. 

After getting cleaned up and changed, Charlotte and Alana join their teammates for a meal before most of them just opt to head back up to their rooms for the night. 

"Ring, ring"

"What do you want loser?"

"Be nice or I'll tell your girlfriend on you." 

Charlotte laughs, "She'd probably join in, so we still good for tomorrow?" 

"Yep, okay if Jessie joins as well?" 

"It's fine with me as long as you don't act all couplely in front of me." 

"This coming from the one who's all over her own girlfriend whenever she's around." 

"Not really in the public though aside from holding hands and the odd peck." 

"True, anyways, you guys played really well tonight and deserved the W, although I still think Mace's shot crossed the line." 

"I didn't have a clear sightline, so I couldn't tell you if it did or didn't. Anyways, shoot me a message whenever you're done tomorrow and we'll hook up; I'm feeling drained so I think I'm gonna hit the sack early tonight." Charlotte yawns, "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Ash. Night." 

"Night, Charlie." 

New Message

C.J.: Is it okay if we don't Facetime tonight, I'm fighting to keep my eyes open and thinking I should turn in early.

Mally: Of course, sleep tight beautiful and I'll talk to you tomorrow 💋🤗❤️❤️❤️


	44. Chapter 44

The next afternoon, Charlotte, Ashley and Jessie make their way to the Getty Museum and wander around exploring the artwork, drawings and sculptures until it's time to head out. 

"That place was awesome, Ash; thanks for bringing me here. Jessie, what did you think of it?" 

"Some of the stuff was pretty cool." 

"It's too bad we don't have more time or we could hit up the Getty Villa as well and maybe a few other places." 

"Maybe after our season is over, Mal and I can plan a weekend to come to visit and we can check them out."

"Sounds like a plan. You wanna grab something to eat before we drop you back to the hotel?" 

"Is that even a question you need to ask, Ash?" 

Ashley laughs and shakes her head, "Nope, I should remember that you are always hungry." 

After eating, Ash drops Jessie back at the dorms before bringing Charlotte back to the hotel. 

"You want to come in and see Lan?" 

"Why so she can bust my balls?" 

"You don't have any balls, Sanchez; I'm fairly certain that you're the bottom in your relationship as well." 

"Wow, tell me again why we're friends?" 

Charlotte laughs, "I'm not sure, Mal asks me all that time. Now, c'mon." 

Charlotte leads them upstairs to her and Alana's shared hotel room and lets them in, finding a group of Cardinal players camped out in it and watching a match on the TV. 

Ashley jumps on the bed beside them, "Who's playing?" 

"Alright, who let a Bruin in here?" Alana smiles before hugging her, "S'up, Sanchez? How was the museum?" 

"Was good. What did you do while we were gone?" 

"Hung around the pool and then decided to watch a movie until the game came on." 

"Did you at least finish the assignment that you were bitching about having to do?"

"Crap! I almost forgot!" Charlotte and Ashley laugh and then comfy to watch the rest of the game. 

Once it finishes, Ashley looks at her phone, "I should probably head out, I promised Jess some snuggle time before bed." 

"I really don't want to know about your sex life."

"Seriously, Charlie is that all your brain thinks about?" 

"One day soon you'll find out that there's a lot more going on in my head than just thinking about sex, soccer or school." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

Charlotte shrugs and Alana and Ashley look at each other. 

They all hug and wish each other good luck for their games the following day before Ashley heads out for the evening.

After returning from supper with their team, they settle into some comfier clothes and while Charlotte messages back and forth with Mal, Alana works on the assignment she was meant to complete earlier. 

The next day they make the drive to McAlister Field for their game against USC. With a victory in the afternoon's match, the Cardinal can clinch their 3rd consecutive Pac-12 championship.

The Cardinal takes to the field energized and wanting to clinch the title. In the 15th minute, Jaye Boissiere sends a ball into the box and Kiki Pickett opens her scoring account for the powerhouse Cardinal team to put them on top. 

Unfortunately for them, USC draws level less than a minute later and the teams play that way for another 10 minutes before Charlotte slides the ball over to Michelle who beats her defender and then sends a shot over the keeper inside the far post to put them back on top on more. 

The Cardinal continues to outwork, outmuscle and outshoot their competition and in the 62nd minute earn a free-kick 24 yards out. Knowing that Charlotte is more than capable of striking from distance, Andi and her stand over the ball and discuss how she's going to play it before the whistle blows. As it sounds out, Charlotte runs and strikes the ball hard sending it beyond the wall and curling it just inside the crossbar in the top right corner to give them a commanding two-goal lead.

She gets another shot on target only to see the keeper come up with it late in the game. Minutes later the final whistle sounds out and the Cardinal walk away with victory and championship.

Returning back to Stanford later on in the evening, Charlotte is met by Mal at the bus. She makes her way down the steps and runs over and scoops her girlfriend up in her arms before kissing her. 

"Hey, there beautiful." 

"Hey, there Champ." Charlotte laughs, "We still have aways to go, but we all feel confident in our ability to bring home another NCAA Championship." 

"I'm not a reporter, C.J." 

"Right, sorry, apparently being the Pac-12 leading scorer is kind of a big deal and it earns you some interviews." 

"Yeah, well, Babe, you do realize that once your real identity is out there that cameras and questions are going to follow you all the time."

"Hence why I'm not ready for it to come out. Let me grab my bag and then we can head out." Charlotte makes her way over to the bus and collects her suitcase before returning to Mal and taking her hand. "Let's go home, I'm exhausted and would like nothing better than to fall asleep in your arms." 

Back at the apartment, they both get changed into comfies and complete their nigh time routine before laying in bed together and sharing a few kisses. 

"I love you, Mal." 

"Love you, too. Did you remember to set your alarm?" 

"Crap!" Charlotte sits up and Mal laughs as she watches her girlfriend check her phone and alarm. "Okay, I'm good, now come here." Mal allows Charlotte to pull her down on top of her and they share another long kiss before falling asleep.

The next few days pass by and when Charlotte isn't in class or training she spends as much of her time with Mal as possible. 

Friday after rolls around with the knowledge that not only is tonight's game, the final game of the regular season for the Cardinal, but also Senior day with a bit of added pressure to send their graduates off in style.

Charlotte and Mal stand outside of the stadium and hold each other, before sharing a kiss, "Good luck tonight, Baby." 

Charlotte smiles, "I'll see you after, Captain Mally. Love you." 

"Love you, too." 

Charlotte heads inside to join her teammates in getting ready for the game against the #22 ranked university of California. 

Despite Stanford's clear domination of the Golden Bears across the board, they end up settling for a 1 - 0 victory with Charlotte having found the netting in the 42nd minute of the game off a play started by Jordan and Madison. 

They celebrate the victory and the end of the regular season before getting set for their post-season run. 

Charlotte and Mal lay in bed wrapped in each other's arms after celebrating the victory in their own special way. 

Charlotte kisses Mal's head and hears her girlfriend let out a content moan. "I was thinking that we haven't been out on an actual date for a while, so, how would you like to enjoy some beach time tomorrow, have supper at a nice restaurant and then enjoy a nice walk under the stars?" 

"Are we dressing up for supper? Because if so I have the perfect dress." 

"The perfect dress, huh? Can't wait to see it. I don't really have a lot of options to wear." 

"Then how about we go shopping rather than swimming tomorrow and get you some clothes? You're going to need something to wear to your end of season banquet and the awards one anyways."

"I much prefer the idea of you undressing me but I could definitely get used to you dressing me as well because we both know it's not exactly my strong suit."

Mal smiles and kisses her, "I'm more than just a pretty face you know." 

"You definitely are. Love you." They kiss again before calling it a night. 

After enjoying a couple of days together, Monday morning the alarm sounds out indicating another early morning for Charlotte. She rolls over and shuts the alarm off, before turning over to face Mal. 

"Call me later."

"I will. Don't have too much fun without me." 

"Never and today's going to be a chill day." 

Charlotte leans over and kisses Mal, before climbing out of the bed and getting changed into some workout clothes. She heads into the bathroom and completes her morning routine, struggling with keeping her hair under control before putting it up in a tail. 

She walks out and picks up her bag, looking over at Mal who has already fallen back asleep before grabbing a quick bite in the kitchen and then making her way to the team's early morning session. She then joins her teammates and they go about completing their circuits before finishing up with a short team meeting. After finding out that their opponent in the first round will be Utah Valley, they all disperse and go about getting ready for the classes on the day.

After putting in the work all week, Charlotte is excited for Saturday evening to finally roll around and after saying goodbye to Mal, she makes her way to the stadium to start getting into game mode. 

The Cardinal knowing that their Captain Andi Sullivan is unavailable for the game due to being away with the USWNT, the team vows to win the game for her. 

As has become the norm, the Cardinal come out flying on their home turf and take it to the visiting Wolverines. Charlotte sends the Cardinal's first shot on goal 2 minutes into the game and forces the keeper to make the save on a shot destined for the far post. 

In the 5th minute of play, Civana dishes a beautiful pass off to Madison who connects with the outside of her foot and knocks it just inside the post. 

Minutes later and Civana goes one on one with the keeper, chipping it over the sliding keeper and tapping it into the empty goal to put the home team up by two goals. 

Utah Valley comes back to make it a game in the 16th minute after scoring on a header off a corner kick in the box. 

10 minutes later, Jaye fires a shot from distance top shelf to put them on top 3 - 1 them minutes later Tierna connects on a header to put them up by three. 

Not to be outdone by her teammates, Charlotte accepts a cross box pass from Michelle and one time the ball into the netting, making it 5 - 1 for the team in Cardinal Red. They add another goal to make it 6 - 1 at the end of the first half. 

Charlotte stands and waits on the sidelines to return to action until the 71st minute of the game and before the final whistle blows to put the visitors out of their misery, she has collected another two assists on the day as the Cardinal thump their opponents by a record-setting final score of 9 - 1, en route to advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championship. 

After the game, Mal joins Charlotte, Alana and some of the other girls for supper.

"So, Mal you disappointed not to get the call to join the US for their games?" 

"Of course, but if I was with them then I couldn't be here and be someone's lucky charm." 

Charlotte looks at her and smiles, "So you're my lucky charm now, huh?" 

Mal smiles and nods as Charlotte wraps her around her and kisses her cheek. After they finish catching up, Charlotte and Alana escort Mal back to the apartment. 

"Damn, this place is fancy, fancy," 

"Don't get any ideas, Lan, there's only one bed." 

"And one couch, so I'm all good!" 

Mal laughs, "Not a chance, but maybe after you guys win everything, you can come over and C.J. can make us supper." 

"Charlie cooks?" 

Mal nods, "Yep, and she's pretty good at it." 

"It's mostly because I read and follow instructions well unlike some others who decide to randomly break out into dance party mode and miss steps." 

Mal shrugs, "It still turned out alright." 

"Baby, I just about broke a tooth on it; that's far from alright." 

"Guess that means more cooking for you in the future." 

Alana watches them and shakes her head at the pair as they continue to bicker back and forth. 

"K, I'm out because I'm feeling left out." Mal and Charlotte laugh and then wrap their arms around Alana and both kiss her on opposite cheeks, "We love too, Lan." 

"Is it okay if I stay at the dorm tonight and probably tomorrow night as well, Babe? I'm short on clothes and have a few assignments that I need to focus on." 

Mal kisses her and holds her, "Do your laundry and schoolwork and call me when you come up for air. Love you, C.J."

"Love you too, Mally. Make sure you lock up everything because I don't want anything to happen to you." 


	45. Chapter 45

"Alright, ladies on paper we shouldn't have any issues getting past Auburn this evening, but we all know a team's win/ loss record isn't indicative of the size of the team's heart. Auburn hasn't scored many goals this season, but when they get on the scoresheet, they generally win. So, let's keep them off the scoresheet this evening." 

"Good speech, Coach." 

The eyes focus on Charlotte as she realizes what she thought she said in her head she in fact said out loud and her teammates start laughing at her expense. 

Andi now back from duty with the USWNT stands up, "You heard what Coach said, let's keep them off the scoresheet." 

Despite sending 17 shots towards the Auburn goal in the first half, and forcing 5 saves from their keeper the Cardinal find themselves in the rather unfamiliar situation of a game being scoreless after the first half. 

The Cardinal continues bombarding the Tiger's goal with shots and finally breaks through the backline in the 58th minute as Alana plays a long ball over their heads and Kyra comes out of nowhere to connect on the header directing it past the frozen keeper and bulging the netting behind her. 

They celebrate and make the jog back to the centre, feeling energized now that they've finally got one on the board. In the 66th minute, Charlotte takes a shot that is blocked and Sam scoops up the rebound sending her own shot towards the target that Charlotte gets a foot on and redirects just inside the goal to put them up by two. 

Soon afterwards she finds herself watching on from the sidelines as her Cardinal teammates shut down the Tigers for the balance and escape with the well deserved 2- 0 victory and a trip to the third round where they will play Florida State. 

Sunday afternoon comes and the Cardinal line up across from Florida State both teams needing the victory to progress to the Quarterfinals. 

In the 10th minute, Charlotte gets a shot away but it doesn't have enough behind it to cause Miller, the Florida keeper any issue. Stanford as they have become known for controls possession and sends plenty of balls towards the goal, but with the Seminoles playing a strong defensive game and their keeper Miller playing solid between the posts, the Cardinal lead in shots on goal, corners and fouls but have nothing on the board to show for all their hard work.

Off of the restart, Stanford sends the ball forward and Jordan passes the ball over to Charlotte at the top of the box, who gets everything on it but doesn't get enough bend on the shot and can only watch as it clanks off the post. 

She continues to get some shots away, but it seems as though the visitors have caught onto her game and block her chances at every turn. 

The Cardinal begins to show their frustration with Civana collecting a yellow card and a lecture from the referee. 

Charlotte finds herself being temporarily subbed out and collects some fluids and attempts to calm herself and her breathing down before she is sent back out minutes later. 

She has another shot blocked and Andi slides in collects the rebound and sends the ball just wide of the goal. 

Finally, in the 78th minute, Tierna breaks out of the Cardinal end with a solo run and has the foresight to send the ball ahead to Jordan who makes no mistake with her shot. 

With Florida State charging for the equalizer late in the game, AJ is forced to come up huge and send their last-ditch attempt on target wide, sealing the victory for her team and collecting her 10th clean sheet on the season. 

They celebrate the victory and congratulate their opposition on a tight match, before making their way over to the sidelines to collect drinks and listen to the coaches' last few words. 

Charlotte grabs a drink and a knee and listens to them speak as she scans around for Mal's beautiful face. 

She smiles when Mal offers a not so subtle wave and blows her a kiss. 

"Gordon, are you listening?" 

"Um, Yes, Coach." 

"Then what did I just say?" 

With none of her teammates offering to help her, she shrugs, "Sorry, Coach." 

"As I was saying I just received confirmation that our next opponents will be Penn State, who just succeeded in knocking out West Virginia. Now, everyone get cooled down and we'll see you bright and early in the morning."

"Yes, Coach!" 

As the Coaches walk away, Charlotte, as well as several of her teammates, collapse on the ground exhausted. 

"Do you really think he is going to make us train in the morning, Lan?" 

"I have a feeling it's just going to be a let's watch some video and see what we did wrong kinda morning." 

Charlotte laughs, "I hope so. You still interested in coming to Mal's for supper tonight?" 

"Yep! I never turn down free food." 

Charlotte stands up and reaches down for her roommate, "Come on the sooner we finish the sooner I can get to cooking." 

"Is Mal already gone?" 

"Yeah, she was in charge of getting the groceries." 

After completing their cool down, showering and changing they make the short drive to Mal's apartment and pull in beside the BMW that her agent was able to get for her. 

"Nice ride!" 

"Yeah, the driver's not so bad either." 

Alana starts laughing, "Please tell me that you and Pugh haven't done anything in it."

"Nah there's no backseat and the gearshift gets in the way." 

They head upstairs and Alana gets comfortable watching some television while Mal and Charlotte sneak into the bedroom for a few minutes. 

With their arms wrapped around each other, it doesn't take long for a few pecks to begin to escalate into more and as Charlotte attempts to walk Mal backwards over to the bed, Mal stops her, "We can't Baby, Lan is in the net room and you need to make supper." 

Charlotte kisses her, "We could make it quick." 

Mal smiles and shakes her head, "Not tonight, Babe; now, let's get back out there before she decides to join us or raid the fridge."

They share one more quick kiss before returning to the living room, "Let me guess, Charlie couldn't get it up." 

Charlotte throws a pillow at her roommate and shakes her head, while Mal laughs. 

"What I figured you guys were gonna have a quickie so I even turned the volume up." 

Charlotte looks at Mal as if to say, "Told you." and Mal shakes her head as if to say, "Don't go there." 

"I'm going to get started on supper, Lan, you're good with chicken, right?" 

"Yep." 

"Good, cause otherwise, you'd be heading to the caf to eat by yourself."

A few hours later after enjoying Charlotte's rendition of Chicken and broccoli alfredo, they help clean up before it's time for Charlotte and Alana to head back to the dorm. 

"I really don't want to go." Charlotte holds her girlfriend. 

"You're the one who decided that it was best for you to stay at the dorm on Sunday nights."

"You need your sleep and I feel bad that I'm always waking you up early to go to training or classes." 

"I don't mind being woke up early if it means I get a good morning kiss from you." 

"Charlie, I'm heading out are you coming or are you staying?" 

Charlotte kisses Mal on the nose, "I love you, I'll see you tomorrow, beautiful." 

"Love you, too. Bye Lan." 

"Bye Mal."

They make the quick drive back and walk into their dorm, "Is Mal planning on coming to Florida, when we head there for the College Cup?"

"We still need to get past Penn State, Lan before we can even think about going to Orlando." 

"We'll do it, I have a really good feeling about this team and season." 

"Me too. I know how difficult it was on the girls last year to get knocked out in the second round." 

"This is our year, Charlie." 

"I hope so, Lan." 

"No, you don't hope, you know!" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "I know this is our year." 

"Good! Now, let's get to bed; the alarm goes off way too early in the morning."

"Agreed, oh, by the way, it's your turn to buy coffee." 

"Fine." 

It doesn't take long for either of them to drift off once back at the dorm. Meanwhile back at Mal's apartment once she gets settled into the big bed all by herself, she hears knocking on the door. Thinking that perhaps Charlotte came back, but didn't remember her keys she gets up and walks over to the door. She looks out the spy hole and finds that it isn't Charlotte at all and opens the door

"What are you doing here? And how did you find me?" 

"Come on Baby, you know I love you, we're meant to be, marry me."

Mal debates what to do with an obviously intoxicated Dansby on her doorstep and invites him in. 

She heads into the kitchen and makes him a strong cup of coffee and grabs a bottle of water as well, setting them down in front of her former boyfriend. 

"Drink, now I'll ask again, what are you doing here?" 

"I need you, Baby." 

"No, you don't and I'm happy with C.J." 

"C.J.? You back to doing guys now? always knew you weren't into pussy." 

"C.J. is my girlfriend whom I love very much." Mal watches as Dansby drinks the coffee. "How did you find me?" 

"Wasn't hard, you're all over Instagram and I followed you home after the soccer game. Gotta say that dyke of yours has got some moves." 

Mal takes a couple of deep breaths, "Dans, we are done; we have been done for a long time, I've moved on and am happy, now you have a choice either leave now and don't ever contact me again or I call the police and have you escorted out, which I'm quite certain won't look good on you come contract time." 

He gives her the puppy dog eyes that usually would make her do anything for him, but they don't have the same effect this time around. 

"Dans, please, leave; I'll even call you a cab because you sure as heck shouldn't be driving anywhere right now." 

"Mal, I love you and I'm sorry for everything." 

"Too little, too late, Dans. Time for you to go." 

"Can I at least get a hug?" 

Mal walks over to him and hugs him before stepping back and showing him her phone, "Cops or cab?" 

"Cab." 

Mal opens the door and he walks out, "I'm sorry Mal. I should've married you when I had the chance. You know I even bought you a ring." 

"Goodbye, Dansby." 

Mal shuts the door and makes sure to double lock it. She heads to the bedroom and collapses on the bed in tears. 


	46. Chapter 46

Charlotte lets herself into Mal's apartment after class on Tuesday and is surprised to find it empty. 

She calls Mal's number and gets her voicemail, she sends her messages and gets no response. 

Sitting on the couch, she feels lost without her girlfriend and grows concerned for her safety and whereabouts. 

As she debates calling Mal's Mom, Karen, the apartment door opens and Mal walks in carrying a small bag with her. She sets it down, and when she notices Charlotte on the couch walks over, sits down beside her and reaches out to hold her hand. 

"Where were you? Where did you go? I thought you left me, I thought something happened to you."

Mal reaches over and pulls her into her arms, kissing her on the forehead. "I'm really sorry. I need to tell you something. The other night, Dansby showed up here extremely drunk and I let him in." 

"What! He didn't do anything to you, did he? Why would you let him in?" 

"Please, calm down and let me finish, okay?" 

Charlotte nods. 

"Alright, he showed up here and before you ask, he still follows me on Instagram, saw pictures of us and then followed me home after one of your games. He started spouting off about about how much he missed me, and that he still loved me and also mentioned that he had even bought a ring and that we should have gotten married."

Charlotte looks at her with tears in her eyes, "I'm not sure I want to hear what comes next." 

Mal lifts her head up, "Just listen, please. I'll admit that his mention of having bought a ring and marriage caught my attention; but, I sent him away, C.J., because I love you, and you are the only person that I plan on accepting a ring from, and marrying. Dansby was my past, you are my present and future." 

Charlotte leans over and they share a kiss. "Where have you been though and why weren't you answering my calls?" 

"I needed to process things, so I took a drive down the coast and stayed in a hotel overnight. I'm sorry that I didn't answer your calls or messages, but I kinda thought this was a conversation that was better to take place in person."

"Don't ever take off like that again, please. If something ever happened to you, I would never be able to forgive myself." 

Mal pulls her into a gentle kiss, "I promise. I love you, C.J." 

Charlotte smiles, "Love you too, Captain Mally." 

Mal smiles and laughs, "You ever going to drop that?" 

"Nope. Have you eaten? I'm sure that I can find something to make for us in the kitchen." 

Mal pulls her into her arms, "I haven't eaten and I know that you're always hungry, but, can we just sit her for a few minutes?" 

Charlotte lets her head fall on Mal's chest and they sit there in quiet for a bit before deciding that it's probably time to find something to eat.

After eating and cleaning up, they decide to enjoy a bath together. 

As Mal lays back against Charlotte's chest, everything in the world seems perfect and she can't help but smile and then kiss Mal's head. "I wish we could end every day like this. Well, maybe not in the bathtub, but you know what I mean." 

Mal laughs, "I always know what you mean. How was training today?" 

"Good, we're ready for Penn State. You're still coming to the game on Friday, right?" 

"Of course, I am." 

"And Florida?" 

"Baby, I go, where you go; now, how about we move this to the bedroom, because I'm getting pruney." 

"You're a sexy prune."

Mal slides forward and climbs out of the bubble - filled tub, "You coming?" 

Charlotte laughs as she asks it with her eyebrow raised. "Right behind you, beautiful." 

They get dried off and after Charlotte makes sure her alarm is set and phone plugged in they climb under the covers together, holding, kissing and touching each other before settling in to sleep. 

The following morning, Charlotte is awake well before the alarm goes off and quietly slips out of the bed and gets herself ready before turning her attention to making breakfast for her and Mal. 

She carries the plates into the bedroom and sets them down on the nightstands, before heading back to the kitchen to collect their coffee and returning to the bedroom. As the alarm sounds out, Mal turns over and smiles at Charlotte, "How long have you been up?" 

"Long enough to make us breakfast, so sit up and eat before it gets too much colder." 

Mal sits up and places her pillow behind her back to help prop her up as both she and Charlotte eat the eggs and fruit on the plate and enjoy their lukewarm coffee before Charlotte has to head out to class. 

"What are your plans for today, Mally?" 

"I'm meeting with that trainer you set me up with at 11. I need to get back to work, been slacking and you spoiling me like this definitely hasn't been helping although I very, very much enjoy and appreciate it." 

"Okay, well, I have a study group thingy tonight after class, so I probably won't see you until tomorrow." 

Mal leans over and kisses her, "Thank you for breakfast, your eggs are definitely getting better. Don't worry about the dishes, I'll do them later." 

They share a long hug and kiss, "Have a good day at school, Babe." 

"I will, remind me to tell you all about the propulsion systems, I'm learning about." 

Mal shakes her head, "I'm sometimes forget that I'm in love with a nerd." 

"I thought that I was a goof?" 

"That, too. But you're my goof." 

Charlotte grabs her bag, "Bye beautiful, love you." 

"Love you, too." 

Friday morning arrives and Charlotte lays in her bed, trying to grab a little bit of extra shut eye before their game against Penn State that afternoon, but thanks to Alana's snoring and nerves she can't sleep. 

Her phone buzzes and she looks at the screen assuming it's a good morning message from Mal and is suprised when she reads it.

New Message

Kenz: CALL ME ASAP!!!!!

C.J.: S'up? 

Kenz: Can you talk? 

C.J.: Not at the moment. Give me like 10 or 15 to get changed and I'll call you.

Kenz: Make it quick!

C.J.: Better be worth it. 

Kenz: You have no idea!

Charlotte gathers up what she needs before heading to the bathroom, changing and completing her morning routine before returning to the room. She collects her stuff for the game and heads out to call Mackenzie and also get something to eat. 

"Ring, ring"

"This better be good, Kenz. I'm uncaffenated." 

"Are you sitting? You need to sit if you aren't." 

"Enough with the theatrics, Kenz, just spill." 

"There is an offer on the table to buy the movie rights for The Known, as well as Into The Unknown and Know-How depending on how well it's received." 

"HOLY FUCK! ARE YOU SERIOUS??" 

"As a heart attack, little sis." 

"Oh my God. I need to sit." Charlotte finds a bench to sit down and she hears her sister laugh, "Told you to sit."

"How much are we talking about?" 

"I'm not sure of all of the specifics, Mr. Finnegan is better with disecting the mumbo, jumbo than me, but I thought that you would want to know." 

"Thanks, Kenz. I think I'm in shock; I should call Mal and get my head staright before the game." 

"Oh, crap, I'm sorry; totally, forgot that your game was today. Good luck, Charlie." 

"Thanks, keep me apprised of everything, okay?" 

"I will, now go hug and kiss your girlfriend and then kick some ass on the field." 

"I will, bye, Kenz." 

"Bye." 

Charlotte looking at the time knows that Mal will be up and calls her. 

"Morning." 

"Hey, what's up?" 

"I have some insane news to share with you." 

"Okay, spill." 

Charlotte looks around to ensure that she is alone when she says it. "Kenz, just called; there is an offer to buy the movie rights for my books." 

She hears Mal scream out, "OH MY GOD!" and laughs. "I, wow, I don't know what to say; I'm so proud of you, Baby." 

Charlotte smiles and laughs, "Do you think you can meet me before the game? I'm really going to need some help in chilling out before it, now." 

"Yep, message me the when and where and I'll be there." 

"Or, I could come to the apartment for a short time, it's not like I was able to sleep with Lan's snoring anyways." 

"Come on over then, I'll get the coffee on; have you eaten, yet?" 

"No, and I'm not sure that I'll be able to now." 

"You are going to, even if I have to feed you myself." 

Charlotte smiles, "That I could go for. I'll see you soon, beautiful." 

Mal laughs, "K." 

Charlotte makes her way to the apartment and sends Alana a message letting her know that she will meet up with her roomie in time for their usual game day routine to take place. 

As she lets herself into the apartment, Charlotte smiles as Mal dances around to the music playing. Mal notices her and stops dancing.

"Please, don't stop on my account; I was rather enjoying the view." 

Mal laughs, walking over and wrapping her arms around her, then kissing her cheek, "I'm so happy for you." 

They share a couple long, gentle kisses and Mal lets out a snicker as Charlotte squeezes her butt. 

"Let's go superstar, time for you to eat." 

They sit down and eat and drink while watching a show on the TV that Mal put on to distract them. 

"I can't believe that you actually watch that crap, Mal; like seriously what respectable woman throws herself at a guy like that? And he's not even that good looking to begin with, plus he clearly doesn't even work out and she's a trainer, like that's ever going to work." 

Mal laughs at her, "Sounds like someone is pretty invested in the crap TV show, after all." 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Point taken. Thanks for this." 

"You're welcome, now you need to get your head into game mode and put everything else aside for the moment, okay?" 

Charlotte looks at her, "Wanna help distract me?" 

Mal climbs into her lap and they begin sharing kisses until it becomes a full-blown makeout session. Charlotte slides her hands underneath Mal's shirt and starts to lift it up, which causes Mal to separate from her. "We can't do that right now; but, I promise we will later." 

"How about a little nap, before I have to leave to meet up with Lan?" 

Mal smiles and climbs off her, making her way back to the bedroom. 

"You ever make your bed, Pugh?" 

Mal shakes her head, "Nope, don't see any point in making it when I'm just gonna climb back in as soon as I possibly can." 

"I hope you at least, wash your bedding then." 

Mal looks at her, "You know I do." 

Charlotte sets an alarm and they climb under the cover and snuggle until it goes off. 

Charlotte leans over and kisses Mal, "That wasn't nearly long enough." 

"You need to go, before Lan comes here looking for you." 

Charlotte climbs out of the bed and strips out of her comfies before making her way out to retrieve her bag and put on her team wear. 

Her and Mal share a kiss and hug, "Good luck, C.J." 

"I'll see you after, beautiful, love you." 

"Love you." 

Charlotte heads back out and makes her way accross the campus to her and Alana's dorm room. 

"You ready for this, Cook?" 

They fist bump and laugh, "Let's do it, Gordon." 

As they make their way into the stadium with their headphones on, they can still feel the excitement in the air surrounding the game. 

They head into the changeroom and complete their pregame routines, and then get quiet as they await instructions from Coach Paul before they head out for warmups. 

"Ladies, we've covered everything this week in training and I know this team is more than capable of sending Penn State packing today. I want everyone to know what a pleasure it's been coaching you this season and I wish all of you only the best in the future. Now, back to the task at hand, depending on the scoreline today, I may opt to let some of you get a bit more rest than you're used to during our games. This is nothing against you or your play, it is simply a means to ensure everyone gets some playing time in what will be the last home game for our graduating players. Everyone on board with that?" 

"Yes Coach!" 

"Alright, get out there and get warmed up." 

"Charlie, can I speak with you for second?" 

Charlotte follows her coach off to the side, "I just wanted to let you know that we may rest you in the second half, if we have a comfortable lead." 

Charlotte nods, "Okay, Coach." 

With all the pregame taken care of the teams get set for the opening whistle in front of the crowd of just over 2100 filling the stands at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium on the Friday afternoon.

The whistle sounds out and Stanford is called for an early foul. Penn State sets up and Stanford recovers the ball off the kick and plays it downfield. The whistle sounds out once more as Jordan is fouled just outside of the Nittany Lions box. 

As the visitors set up their wall, the Cardinal's outgoing Captain, Andi, walks over to Charlotte, "You want this one?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Hell yeah, I do." 

"All yours then, make it count." 

Charlotte gets set to take the kick and once the whistle sounds out strikes it hard, bending it around the wall and just inside the far post past the diving goalkeeper to give the Cardinal the lead 2 minutes into the game. 

Charlotte celebrates with her teammates and then looks towards the stands, finding Mal and tapping her chest before making her way back to the mid point of the field. 

Minutes later, the Captain adds her name to the scoresheet as Andi buries a left-footed shot for her second goal of her final season. 

Off the restart, the Cardinal intercept a wayward ball from the Lions, which results in Kyra sending in the cross and Jaye, making no mistake in sending a low ball past the keeper to put them on top by 3, not even twelve minutes into the match. 

The Cardinal players are noticeably more relaxed on the field after the third marker which results in the Penn State back line being kept busy trying to limit the damage. 

In the 25th minute, Charlotte finds space and sends a through ball which Kyra manages to redirect past the opposing keeper for their fourth goal on the day. 

Feeling comfortable that the game is now out of hand, Charlotte is suprised with being subbed out of the game minutes later. 

The second half finds a bit more action, with A.J. being called upon to make 2 saves before making way for Lauren Rood to take over between the posts and finish up the 17th shutout on the season. 

As the final whistle sounds out, the Penn State players drop to their knees and noticeably fight back tears, knowing that their season has now met it's conclusion at the hands of the #1 ranked team.

After celebrating on the field, the players head over to the stands to celebrate with family and friends. Mal hugs Charlotte and sneaks a kiss in on her cheek, "You're gonna have to teach me how to take free kicks like that one day, Babe." 

Charlotte laughs and shakes her head, "You either got it or you don't, and I gots it, Captain Mally." Charlotte laughs and salutes her. 

"I'll see you back at the apartment and we can do a little celebrating of our own." 

"Definitely, see you soon, beautiful." 

Charlotte rejoins her teammates for their post-game, while Mal heads back to the apartment. 

"Great game today, ladies. Enjoy your weekend and I'll see you all first thing, Monday morning. Plan to leave for Florida on Wednesday, I'll get back to you when I know our travel arrangements. Now, get out of here and try not to indulge in too much Thanksgiving food." 

"Yes, Coach!"

Charlotte hugs Alana, "I'll see you tomorrow at around 6 for supper." 

"Thanks, Charlie, I really didn't want to eat in the cafeteria." 

"No guarantees about the quality of what we serve, but if nothing else we can always have pizza." 

Alana laughs, "I'm always good with pizza. I'll see you and Mal tomorrow, good game today Charlie." 

Charlotte makes her way towards Mal's apartment before stopping and sitting on a bench to think. The realization of how extremely fortunate she is hits her and she sends Mal a message. 

New Message

C.J.: Grab your keys and meet me at your car. 

Mal: Everything okay? 

C.J.: Yes. I'll explain when I see you. ❤️

Mal: Okay, see you soon. 

Charlotte is soon joined by Mal. 

"What's up?"

"We are both extremely fortunate to have our health, family, friends, everything we need. I'm in a situation where I'm making more money than I need and I want to spread it around to those who need it more than me or us. I'm going to call my sister and have her contact the women's shelter in our area and find out what they need for the families there. I want you to call your parents and do the same, while I make a few calls to the shelters around here and find out how we can help." 

Mal smiles and kisses her, "I love you." 

"Love you, now let's get to work." 

Mal calls her parents and they come up with a plan to contact a few local shelters and get a list of their needs. 

"Love you, Mom. Happy Thanksgiving; yes, I know I have a good one and no I don't intend on letting her go." 

Mal looks over at Charlotte as she talks on the phone with the shelter and smiles widely. Charlotte walks over and hugs her, kissing her on the cheek, "What's on your mind?" 

"Just how amazing you are." 

"I'm not amazing, Mal; everything, I have and am is because of my parents and the love, respect and appreciation they instilled in me. The best way that I can continue to honour my Father's memory isn't by having a bank account balance it's by spreading it around." 

"Damn, Babe; just when I didn't think it possible, you made me love you even more." 

They share a kiss and just hold each other staring in each other's eyes, "Love you." 

"Love you, now, let's get our shop on." 

They fill Mal's car with basic hygiene products, toiletries and basic clothing before stopping at a bank and pulling out some cash to donate. 

The withdrawal receipt falls to the ground and Mal picks it up and her eyes go wide, "How did I not know you had this much in your account?" 

"Because it isn't who I am." 

Mal nods and smiles, "Let's go we need to get to the shelter before they lock up for the night." 

After delivering everything to the shelter and dealing with the attention around it, they make the drive back to the apartment and after getting changed they lay down on the bed and are soon out cold. 


	47. Chapter 47

Charlotte and Mal sit on the couch wrapped in each other and making out when there is a knock on the door.

"Baby, that's gonna be Alana, we need to stop."

Charlotte leans forward and pecks Mal's lips, "I don't want too."

"I know, but we can pick up where we left off after she leaves."

"Promise?"

"How about we finish out today with a bath together?" Charlotte smiles and nods.

There is another knock on the door and Mal stands up, walking over and letting in her girlfriend's teammate and roommate.

They hug at the door, "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Lan." Charlotte and her hug.

Alana looks around and laughs, "Let me guess, Mal was in charge of the decorations?"

Charlotte laughs, "Yeah, and she waited until the last minute to get stuff, so we're stuck with rather sad looking turkey decor."

"It's all good, it's kinda cute actually and I wouldn't expect a group like ours to be on the ball, when it comes to that kind of stuff. So, I brought an apple pie for dessert."

"YES!" Charlotte pipes up from accross the room. "Is there ice cream?"

Mal laughs and nods as she looks at Alana, "Great now she's gonna want to eat dessert first."

Alana looks at her and smiles, "Doesn't she always?" 

Mal laughs, "Oh, boy and then there was two. Seriously though I hope you brought your appetite because C.J. has been cooking up a storm today." 

"I'm sure Charlie is more than willing to eat everything she made and unlike us she won't even put on any weight."

"Yeah, she is kinda like a bottomless pit when it comes to food and it ticks me off sometimes that she doesn't put on weight."  
  
  


They chat for a bit before the timer on the oven goes off and Charlotte gets up to check on things, before pulling a dish out of it.

"That smells so good, what are we having?"

"I didn't want to cook an actual turkey, cause that would take forever, so I went and found a recipe online for bacon wrapped turkey breasts stuffed with spinach and feta."

"Well, if they taste anything like they smell, that's definitely a win in my books."

Charlotte finishes dishing out their supper on the red and brown paper plates before placing them on the table in front of the girls.

Alana snaps a picture of their supper and posts it on Instagram before setting her phone down and picking up her can of La Croix, "We should have a toast and maybe say what we're thankful for."

Charlotte raises her can, "How about we toast to friends, family and the dumbass who created the flight schedule making it impossible for us to go home for the weekend."

"C.J.!"

"What it's true!"

Mal shakes her head and laughs, "We could have went to my parents including Lan, but you chose to stay here."

"Yeah, because I always feel like the eyes are on me around your family."

"My family loves you, C.J. you know that."

"I do, but, we can't exactly be loud when we're there because well.."

"Children can we settle this discussion afterwards and preferably when I'm not here and toast now?" Alana says while still holding her can in the air.

"To friends, family and bringing home an NCAA Championship!"

"Cheers to that!" They clank their cans together before digging into the food that Charlotte mostly prepared with a little help from Mal and as her Grandparent's call it the Google."

"Seriously, Charlie if playing soccer doesn't work out for you then perhaps you should think about becoming a chef, cause this awesome!"

Charlotte laughs, "Just means that I can follow instructions. But thanks for the compliment, Lan. Are your folks planning on coming to Orlando for the Championship?"

Alana smiles and nods, "So, we better win. Your Mom and sister coming?"

"Yep and my best friend Finn too."

"Sanchez know about this Finn person?"

"Yes."

"Cool, because we don't need any drama."

Charlotte and Mal look at each other and smile a knowing smile.

After they finish eating and clean up the mess in the kitchen, they all sit down and put on a game to watch. 

Charlotte winches as the Quarterback gets knocked on his ass for what seems like the millionth time during the game. 

"So glad, we don't have to deal with that; dealing with one knee injury was more than enough for me."

"It's all about the need to assert their masculinity by beating each other up." 

"Yeah, but it's still fun to watch, Go Broncos!" Charlotte shakes her head at her girlfriend. 

As it starts to get a bit later, Alana decides to head back to the dorm and crash even though she was already offered the couch to sleep on if she wanted. 

"It's fine; I have an assignment that I need to finish anyways and the dorm should be quiet so I can focus." 

They all hug, "Thanks for supper and the plate of leftovers." Alana holds up the plate that Charlotte made for her to take back to the dorm for tomorrow.

"You're welcome, call or message if you need anything." 

"Will do. Later guys." 

Alana heads out, leaving Charlotte and Mal alone once more and as they sit on the couch together, they can't help but smile. 

"You know, we never really talked about what we're thankful for. I'm thankful for you C.J., I love you so much." 

"I love you, too, Mal; and I would be thankful if we made our way to the bathroom for that bath you promised me earlier because well, cramps." 

Mal takes her hand and leads her towards the bathroom, placing a kiss on her lips, "A promise is a promise, now get undressed while I get it ready." 

After their bath together, they dry off and put on some clothes to sleep in before climbing under the covers and pulling out books to read. Charlotte looks around before sighing and putting her book back on the nightstand. "You forgot your glasses didn't you?" 

"Yeah, I can read with out them, but my eyes get sore when I do it. What are you reading?" 

"Life of Pi." 

"I like that one, can you read it to me?" 

Mal looks at her girlfriend and smiles, "Fine, get comfy." 

"Thanks, Mally." 

Mal takes her book and opens it, _"The sun climbed through the sky, reached its zenith, began to come down. I spent the entire day perched on the air, moving only as much as necessary to stay balanced. My whole body being tended towards the spot on the horizon that would appear and save me. It was a state of tense, breathless, boredom......"_

Mal continues to read aloud for Charlotte only to soon realize that her girlfriend has lost the battle and succumbed to the powers of the Sandman. 

She closes her book, sets it on the nightstand, shuts of the light and then gets comfortable before joining Charlotte in slumber. 

The next morning, with no place to be in any hurry there are no alarms set and Charlotte and Mal sleep in late, waking up only when Mal's phone starts ringing. 

Mal reaches over for it and lets out a big yawn as she answers, "Hey Mom, Happy Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, C.J. is here too." Mal turns over, "Mom says Happy Thanksgiving." 

"Happy Thanksgiving, Karen." Charlotte leans over and kisses her cheek and mouths, "Coffee?" and Mal smiles and nods before mouthing, "Yes, please." 

After completing her morning routine Charlotte heads out to the kitchen to brew some liquid Gold for her and Mal. Noticing the time she's surprised to find that they slept in so late. 

After the coffee finishes brewing she delivers a cup to Mal, before grabbing her own and parking in front of the TV and watching an interview with Ryan Reynolds about his current project. 

"So, Ryan, we all want to know if is it true that you've expressed an interest in playing the lead role of Dr. Nathaniel Richmond in the movie version of the best selling novel, The Known?" 

Ryan smiles and nods, "Blake and I are big fans of the books and we've both expressed our interest in being a part of the movie to our agents; but from what I've heard negotiations with the author for the rights have hit a bit if a standstill at the moment." 

"Do you know who the author is Ryan?" 

Ryan gives one of his smiles to the interviewer and shakes his head, "No, I'm in the dark about the the true identity of J.C. Glass just like everyone else is." 

Charlotte takes a breath revelling in the information that her identity is still unknown for the moment and also screaming inside at the fact that the Ryan Reynolds is a fan of her books.

Mal comes out of the bedroom and wraps her arms around her neck, kissing the back of her head. "Whatcha watching?" 

"Ryan Reynolds." 

"Ahh, so your man crush." 

Charlotte smiles, "Yep, he likes my books, Mally." 

"You're so cute, sometimes." 

"Only sometimes?" 

"N'ah, all the time. Mom and Dad say hello and asked me to wish you good luck for them." 

"Tell them thank you." Charlotte's stomach rumbles causing her and Mal to laugh, "Guess it's time to feed the bear." 

After they finish eating, Mal and her sit down and do their own thing for a bit on their computers and phones. 

"Babe, Mom was asking what our plans are for Christmas and New Years this year." 

"How about we do Christmas at your parents and then New Years at mine; that way I can enjoy a bit more time with my Grandparents before I need to return for next term. Is that okay with you?" 

"Yeah, that works, Brianna, Jace and Marley will be there so it should be fun. C.J. would it be okay if I went back home in January? I want to focus on being at my best for US Camp and the SheBelieves Tournament." 

"Of course, I've kept you here in Cali longer than originally planned and I know that you haven't been training as much or like you're used too. I'll miss you so much though." 

"I know, I'll miss you, too." 

Charlotte closes her laptop and stands up reaching for Mal's hand, "What's going on?" 

"It's a beautiful California day outside, how about we put on some sunscreen and enjoy it. We can act like tourists and sit and drink our iced coffees and talk about anything and everything that isn't soccer related." 

Mal laughs, "Let's do it." 

After spending the balance of the afternoon, shopping, chatting and just enjoying each other's company they return with their bags to the apartment. 

"I wish you didn't have to head back to the dorm tonight." 

"Well, if you want to be my eyes and read my textbook for me then I could stay over, otherwise I need to head back and finish my work for class tomorrow; not to mention I hate waking you up so early." 

"I'm quite certain that I won't be able to pronounce a good chunk of what is written in that big book you carry around, so I'll have to pass on being your eyes this evening." 

Charlotte laughs, "Good choice. Let's grab some leftovers and then I'll be on my way." 

"Always goes back to food with you." 

"Not always food, sometimes just dessert." Charlotte winks at her. 

"Yeah, well dessert isn't happening right now. How are you feeling?" 

"Still a little cramped but nothing I can't handle." 

"You can always message me if you need your tummy rubbed through the night." 

"I might take you up on that if I can't sleep." 

They finish eating and after she helps Mal tidy up, Charlotte reluctantly collects her stuff. Her and Mal share a long hug and a few kisses before she heads out, "Love you, Mally." 

"Love you, C.J. Message me later." 

"I'll try to, spends on how invested in my reading I get, but if I don't I'll message you in the morning." 

"Okay, make sure you drink lots." 

"I'm too young to drink." 

Mal nudges her and laughs, "Water you goof." 

Charlotte laughs, "Night beautiful." 

Charlotte makes her way back to the dorm and lets herself into the small room she shares with Alana, who surprisingly isn't there at the moment. 

She collects some clothes and toiletries and completes her night time routine before collecting her glasses off her desk and propping her book up to read and jot down some notes before class the following day. 

New Message

Kenz: Contracts are drawn up and ready for your signature. 

C.J.: Okay, I'll sign them when I see you later this week. 

Kenz: They are already in pre-production for a couple of other movies, so it sounds like yours would be at least 1 - 2 years out.

C.J.: Good, then perhaps I'll be done school before they come out; I don't imagine that I'll be able to maintain my cover once the wheels start turning. 

Kenz: Mal know about this?

C.J.: Yes, she just doesn't know that we are about to break the record for the most amount of money ever paid for the rights to adapt a book series to the big screen. 

Kenz: Not to mention the fact that you own the copyright to the name J.C. Glass as well as The Known Universe and they are having to pay to use them. 

C.J.: Kenz, are you alone?

Kenz: Yeah, why?

C.J.: Mal mentioned spending Christmas with her family today. I'm going to ask her parents for permission to propose. 

Kenz: I may or may not have just screamed out. It's about time, little Sis. 

C.J.: I know, but we promised that we would wait. Kenz would you consider coming here and helping me pick out a ring? I've been looking at lots of them online but, haven't made it inside an actual store yet.

Kenz: Tell me the when and where and I'll be there with bells on. Can I tell Mom? 

C.J.: I was planning on this weekend. 

Kenz: Okay, then I'll leave it with you. I'm so happy right now; I can't wait to have a sister in law!

C.J: Umm Hello, what am I chopped liver?

Kenz: Yep, but I love you anyways. It's way past my bedtime, so I should hit the sack. 

C.J.: Night Kenz, and please don't tell anyone about me planning to propose. 

Kenz: I won't. See you soon, Sis.

Charlotte sets her phone down and picks her big book up once more, typing up some notes as she goes before finally deciding it's time to call it a night. As she gets comfy, the door opens and her roommate wanders in, "About time you got home young lady, I was starting to worry." 

Alana laughs, "Sorry Mom, I was out to a movie; I should have called or messaged." 

Charlotte laughs, "Yes, you should have! Night Lan." 

"Night, Charlie." 


	48. Chapter 48

It's now Tuesday and the plane carrying Charlotte and her Stanford Cardinal teammates makes its final descent into Orlando International Airport. Mal will be joining her in Orlando on Wednesday along with her family. 

Originally the plan was for the team to fly out on Wednesday but with all the media coverage attached to the weekend's events, they moved up the timeline to accommodate everyone and everything. 

As they make their way off the plane and collect their bags, Charlotte's phone begins to buzz. 

New Message

Ash: They booked our teams into the same hotel. Let me know when you get here. 

Charlie: Just landed. On our way to hotel now. 

Ash: Sweet, come to 412 when you get time. 

Charlie: Should I really be fraternizing with the enemy?

Ash: No, but that never stopped you before, Cardinal. 

Charlotte laughs.

Charlie: See you soon, Bruin. 

Charlotte sends Mal and her Mom a message letting them know that she has landed and is currently on her way to the hotel, which will become home for the next few days. 

The Coach stands on the bus, "Can I have everyone's attention, please?"

The players stop talking to give their attention to the front of the bus.

"I know you were all thinking that we were going to just be chilling at the hotel for the rest of the day, but, unfortunately, that is only partly true. We will have a quick practise on a nearby field, just to get you guys moving after the flight here. So, once we get to the hotel and you receive your room keys, please head up and get changed into your practice gear and meet back down in the lobby in a half hour. Any questions?"

"No, Coach."

Charlotte takes her phone back out.

New Message

Charlie: Coach just sprung a practice on us, won't be seeing you for a little while longer.

Ash: All good, we had that earlier. Message me when you get back.

As the players filter into the hotel and are handed their room keys, they make their way to their designated rooms and undertake the process of getting ready for a practice fresh off the plane.

Charlotte gets herself ready and waits for Alana to finish changing.

"I hate this, I was looking forward to chilling."

"We can do that afterward. Now, we better get a move on before we're late."

They head back downstairs and join their teammates and staff before climbing back on the bus and being driven to a nearby field.

Once there, they get their cleats on and do their usual warmup exercises before forming a circle.

As they wait for the direction the smiles grow on their faces as they realize that it's not a traditional practice, and pylons are being set up to block off areas for soccer tennis and dodgeball.

They are assigned to teams and handed pinnies before being told to have fun but not get hurt.

An hour and a half later, and Charlotte finds herself as the last player standing on her side of the dodgeball game. She looks across at Andi as she holds the ball and debates the merits of letting her Captain beat her, finally deciding that it's the way to go as long as it's not too noticeable.

She makes a dash for a loose ball and feels Andi's shot connect with her leg as she does so, ending the game and practice.

"You totally could have beaten that throw, Charlie; Sulli's got a chicken arm."

Charlotte laughs, "Don't let her hear you say that. She can still make you run extra laps, you know."

Jordan laughs along with Charlotte as they make their way over to the bench to swap out their footwear.

"That wasn't too tough of practice, was it?"

"No, Coach." The girls all smile and laugh, "It was fun."

"Good, now let's head back to the hotel, get cleaned up and then we'll have a team supper at 9:00."

They head back to the hotel, and Charlotte and Alana alternate showering and getting changed. "You want to come with me to see Ash?"

"Nah, think I'm just going to chill and creep social media."

"Alright, don't have too much fun. I'll see you in a few."

Charlotte grabs her key, phone and slips on her shoes as she makes her way to the elevator and the 4th floor.

Knocking on the door, she doesn't immediately get an answer, so she continues to knock louder and more obnoxiously until Ashley opens the door looking more than a little disheveled.

Charlotte smiles, "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"Shut it, Gordon."

"Hey, Jessie. Should I leave so y'all can continue what you were doing?"

"Remind me again why we're friends?"

"Because I'm awesome and you love me, Sanchez. So, what's happening?"

Charlotte takes a seat on the made bed away from the pair of UCLA players.

"Not much, media stuff tomorrow; what about you?"

"Same. Mal is supposed to arrive tomorrow along with my Mom, and sister. Oh, Ash, Finn is coming as well but he won't be here until Friday."

"Sweet, I like Finn."

"I know you do. He asked me to tell you that he is still single and looking to mingle."

Jessie looks at Ashley, "Something that I should know?"

"Just that the two of them had a major flirtation thing going the last time they met."

"Anything more than that, Babe?"

Ashley shakes her head, "No."

"Hey Jess, do you think you could find someone to hang with for a short time, I kinda need to speak to Ash about something in private."

Jessie stands up and fixes her clothing, before making her way out of the room.

"I think I may have put you in the doghouse with Jessie."

"Not the first time and I know how to get myself out of it. So, what's on your mind?"

"Keep this between us, okay?"

Ashley nods, "You're not pregnant, are you?"

Charlotte bursts out laughing, "Not even close. I'm going to ask Mal's parents for permission to propose."

"I thought they already gave it to you?"

"They did, but I want to reiterate how much I love and respect their daughter and their family as a whole by gaining their permission to propose."

"Okay, that's actually kind of nice. So, when are you going to do it?"

"Not sure yet, Mal and I promised each other that we would wait until we had been together for two years before taking the next step, but I don't think that I can wait that long."

"I'm honestly shocked that the two of you haven't already tied the knot, you're so in love with each other, it's almost sickening."

"Well, I guess, thanks for the support?"

Ashley laughs, "I'm happy for you and Mal, doesn't mean that I'll take it easy on you if we end up meeting in the Final on Sunday."

"No worries, I would never expect that to happen. This is awesome you know, both of our teams in the Semis of the College Cup."

"Yep and two victories away from winning it all. It's been a long season."

"It has, but it could also be the fact that I didn't get a chance to play the last one and had to settle for watching on from the sidelines."

"True, I guess I kinda forgot about that considering how much you've been dominating out there this season."

"Mal being around has made a huge difference in my mental prep and game. She knows what I need to get out of my head and just enjoy the game."

"Speaking of that, we got busted when we got back to campus after our little trip to see you and Jess and I had to do extra cardio and weights."

"I'm sorry that you had to do extra because of me, but I'm also not sorry because you guys really helped me out."

"Really, I would have never realized, Ms back to back hat tricks."

Charlotte laughs, "I should probably head back to my room now and chill for a bit before supper."

Ashley looks at her phone, "Yeah, we actually have our team supper pretty soon."

They stand up and hug each other, "Good luck on Friday, Ash, give Duke, hell."

"Back at you, only give South Carolina, hell."

"Regardless of what happens we are still getting together to go surfing one weekend."

"Definitely."

"Bye, Ash."

"Later, Charlie."

Charlotte heads back to her room and finds more than just Alana sitting and waiting for her. She sits on her bed and waits for the inquisition. 

"We heard you were hanging with the enemy." 

Charlotte smiles at Andi, "I was with Ash and Jessie for a bit, yes. Why?" 

"Just wondering what you were talking about." 

"Just catching up, nothing major and no we didn't pass any trade secrets between us." 

"Good, keep it that way or else!" 

Charlotte looks at Andi unsure if she is kidding or not until she hears laughing beside her. 

"We're only playing with you, Charlie. We just came to see if you and Lan wanted to join in on a movie night tonight."

"Sure. Sounds good." 

"Alright, Jordan's room after supper." 

Andi, Tierna, A.J., and Jordan stand up and leave the room. 

"Were you planning on saving me, Lan?" 

Alana laughs, "Nope. Wanna watch some TV until supper time?" 

Charlotte climbs on her bed and gets comfy and they watch a show until it's time to eat. 

After eating, they find out that their morning will be media and then afternoon will be video and team meetings.

Charlotte and Alana finish up and then get changed before making way to the only room where the door is propped open, finding spots on the floor and watching the Harry Potter movie playing on the screen. 

"What house do you guys think you belong in? If you don't know there's a quiz you can do to find out." 

Charlotte completes the quiz, "It says that I'm a Gryffindor. Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"Hermione was a Gryffindor, so it's a good thing."

"Oh, okay. I'm just glad I'm not one of those snake guys, cause I really don't like snakes."

They finish watching the movie before heading back to their rooms, so that no one is late for the team imposed curfew. 

Charlotte lays in her bed staring at the ceiling as Alana snores away without a care in the world. 

New Message

C.J.: I miss you. Sweet dreams, Mally. ❤️

Eventually she falls asleep and the next thing she knows is that the fire alarm is sounding out. Her and Alana both look at each other, "What do we do?" 

"We need to evacuate. Grab your key, shoes, phone and a hoodie and lets go."

They get their footwear on and follow the rest of the people on their floor down the stairs and out to the front of the building. After looking around they find a large group of their teammates and head over towards them. 

Charlotte looks over A.J.'s shoulder and sees a group of UCLA players forming in the distance. She gives a subtle wave to Ashley and Jessie who are huddled together without either of them being dressed for a 2am wakeup call. 

She walks over and hands them her hoodie, which Ashley quickly takes and puts on. "This is the only time you're ever going to see me wearing Cardinal colours and don't even think about taking a picture of me right now." 

"I'm not, you looked cold that's all I was thinking about, but Cardinal red looks good on you, Sanchez." 

Charlotte walks back over to her teammates and joins their huddle, a short time later after the Fire Department checks everything out and deems it a false alarm, everyone is let back inside and heads back to their rooms. 

Charlotte feels someone pull her arm and stops, Ashley hands her back her hoodie and gives her a hug, "Thanks for that." 

"Always, night, Ash." 

"Night, Charlie." 

Charlotte opts to climb the stairs rather than wait with the crowd at the elevator and lets herself in the room, heading into the bathroom first, plugging in her phone and then getting reacquainted with her bed and pillow as Alana comes in cursing the idiots in the elevator. 

The next morning after breakfast the head up and make themselves presentable for media obligations. With Charlotte being the leading scorer for the powerhouse Cardinals and Andi their outgoing Captain, the two spend most of the morning paired together answering questions. 

"So, you really are going to opt into the NWSL Draft, Sulli?" 

Andi nods, "Yeah, if I want to play for the USWNT it's the right move. What about you, Charlie, do you think that when the time comes you'll opt into the draft?" 

"I plan on being at Stanford for at least another two seasons, but we'll see what happens. I would love to be able to pull on the jersey again and rep the US at the Senior level one day." 

"Keep working hard and I can see it happening for you in the future."

"Thanks, Andi." 

"You're welcome, but right now let's focus on the task at hand, not down the line. Savannah McCaskill plays for the Gamecocks and she's high on the US' radar, so we need to make sure to shut her down." 

"Shut down, McCaskill. Anything else, Cap?" 

"Yeah, put the ball in the net!" Charlotte laughs at Andi's words. 

"I'll do my best." 

They finish up with all the media stuff and head back to the hotel for lunch followed by a team meeting and video session. 

New Message

Mally: Just landed. Kenz already messaged and let me know they checked into the hotel. How are you doing?

C.J.: Just finishing up a vid session, we have a few hours before we need to be anywhere. I know Mom got a rental, why don't you all come here for a bit? I'm feeling a bit tired and don't want to leave the hotel. 

Mally: Feeling okay? 

C.J.: Not a 100%, but we also had a fire alarm set off through the night and had to evacuate, so I lost a bit of sleep and am feeling it now. 

Mally: Okay, you relax and I'll co-ordinate with your Mom and Kenz once I get to the hotel. 

With her session now completed, Charlotte makes the trek back up to her room and finds Alana already out cold in her bed. She takes off her shoes and lays down on the bed and is soon out cold herself. 

When there is knocking on the door, it takes Charlotte a bit of time to clear the fogginess from her brain to understand that someone is at the door. She gets up and opens it, finding Mal, her Mom and Mackenzie standing there waiting for her. 

She leads them into the room, "Sorry, Lan and I were both in need of a power nap." She hugs her Mom and sister and then her girlfriend while adding a gentle kiss on the lips, "It's so good to see you guys, how were your flights?" 

"I got a phone number from the guy who was sitting across the aisle." 

Charlotte shakes her head, "Let me guess he was cute." 

Mackenzie smiles, "You should see his sleeve, seriously the ink is top level." 

"Since when were you into tattoos, Kenz?" 

"Since, I may have gotten one." 

Charlotte looks at her, "You what? Where? I want to see it!" 

Mackenzie lifts up her foot and shows of the rose tattoo around her ankle. 

"Really a rose? That's boring, Kenz!" 

"And your idea isn't?" 

Carol Gordon looks at her daughters and then Mal and shakes her head before deciding to catch up with Alana. 

After Mackenzie and Charlotte hash out their tattoo discussion and as to whether Charlotte will ultimately go through with it, they grab seats on the bed and join in the conversation. 

Charlotte gives Mackenzie a look and then nods towards Mal her sister smiles, knowing what's eating her up. "Alana, Mal, how about we check out the vending machines down the hall and give these two a few minutes to catch up." 

Mal looks at Charlotte and then stands up, kisses her on the cheek and then follows Alana and Mackenzie out of the room. 

Carol looks at her youngest, "What's going on? What did you do?" 

"I didn't do anything, yet." 

"What do you mean, yet?" 

"Mal and I were talking and we decided to spend Christmas with her family this year and then we can have a big New Year's party at home." 

"Okay and?" 

"And while I'm in Denver, I want to ask Mal's parents for their permission to propose." 

Carol smiles at her, "You really do love her don't you?" 

"Dad always told me that he knew right away that you were the one for him; Mal, is the one for me." 

"I should probably give you a speech about being young and rushing into things, but, honestly, your Dad and I weren't much older than what you and Mal are now when we got together and I really like Mal for you. So when are you planning on doing it?" 

"I don't have the details sorted out yet. I asked Kenz to come to Cali and help me ring shop, because I'm honestly scared to do it myself." 

"How much are you going to spend?" 

"Kenz and I talked about that before and I think that I will go on the smaller side, because it will be less conspicuous and Mal isn't really about the flashy. We can always upsize down the line." 

"I'm proud of you, Charlotte. You're thriving in school and on the field, have a wonderful girlfriend and an incredibly bright future ahead of you." 

Charlotte hugs her Mom, "I love you, Mom, and I'm really glad that you're here." 

After catching up a bit longer, they make plans to meet up the following afternoon and enjoy some of the Florida sights and sounds together before it's time for the players to get down to business. 

Charlotte holds Mal in her arms, "I love you." 

"Love you, too." 

They share a few more kisses before Mal heads out of the hotel with Charlotte's family while she heads to the team's supper. 


	49. Chapter 49

The next evening Mal helps Charlotte with the finishing touches on her outfit for the banquet. 

Mal takes a step back and sizes her up from top to bottom and then back to the middle, where she licks her lips at the sight of her girlfriend's bare midsection.

Alana yells from the other side of the room, "Don't make me spray the two of you with water, because ain't nobody got time for that!" 

Charlotte and Mal burst out laughing at the comment. 

"Sorry, Lan." 

"Uh-huh."

Charlotte smiles and then winks at Mal, "There'll be plenty of time for dessert later, Baby." 

Mal kisses her gently on the lips, "I'll hold you to that. You look beautiful, C.J." 

"What about me?" 

Mal laughs, "You clean up pretty well too, Lan." 

There is a knock on the door and Alana's phone buzzes, "Limos are downstairs and waiting for us. Time to shine bright like the diamonds we are."

Charlotte and Mal share another kiss, "Have fun, but not too much fun." 

After they take a few pictures together, Mal watches as the Cardinal crew as well as a few stragglers from the UCLA crew make their way out to the cars all dressed to the nines for an evening recognizing them and their achievements. 

Making their way in as a team to the facility where the evening's event is being held, the girls snap pictures and film everything. They stop to take pictures and even sign autographs for some of the young girls who are waiting to catch even a glimpse of one of the next up and coming stars or faces of the USWNT. 

Charlotte laughs and smiles and takes a ton of pictures, totally enjoying herself and the atmosphere around her. 

Soon enough they head in and watch highlights and some lowlights on a big screen and revisit each of the four teams in attendance seasons and how they got to be apart of the final four. 

They move on to speeches and a question and answer session with some of the players and coaches. Then along with a fabulous meal and plenty of dessert options, the players give their attention as the award winners are announced and all the players and teams are wished the best of luck before the evening comes to an end. 

Back at the hotel, they all share a drink (non-alcoholic, of course) and congratulate themselves and their teammates on an amazing season with hopes of finishing it out with the trophy that was earlier on display. 

As time begins to get late, they all head back to their respective rooms and begin the process of removing their makeup and clothing and getting ready for bed and the inevitable bedcheck. 

Charlotte lays in her bed, holding her phone and sends Mal some of the pictures from her evening before deciding to call in a night. 

Her phone buzzes with a simple message and she smiles as she reads it before then allowing the need for sleep to take hold. 

New Message

Mally: You looked absolutely beautiful tonight; I'm so very lucky to have you. Sweet dreams, Baby. I love you. 

The next morning the atmosphere is noticeably a lot tenser as the players eat their breakfast together. 

"You have a visitor, Charlie," Andi speaks out.

Charlotte turns around and wraps her arms around Mal, "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you and I figured that knowing you as well as I do, that you would be busy pushing food around your plater rather than eating it because your stomach is currently in knots." 

Charlotte looks down at her plate, where she has barely touched anything. 

"I'm grabbing a chair and even if I have to feed you myself, you are going to eat." 

Mal steps away to grab a chair and the rest of the girls at the table give Charlotte it, for having her girlfriend call her out. 

After she cleans her plate Charlotte leads Mal back up to the hotel room to relax for a bit and start to get into game mode. 

Laying down on the bed, they share a few gentle kisses before it begins to lead towards more and Mal calls a stop to it. 

"I am not going to be the cause of you playing like shit today, you need to conserve your energy. Set your alarm and we can sleep for a bit until you need to start getting ready."

Charlotte chacks the alarm on her phone and ensures that it's plugged in before she and Mal get comfy under the blankets. 

Alana walks in and looks at them, "Please tell me that both of you are fully clothed under there." 

Charlotte mumbles, "Unfortunately." Causing Mal to laugh. 

They all get comfy and while Mal mostly watches and listens Charlotte manages to fall asleep with her arms wrapped around the love of her life. 

As the alarm sounds out waking them all up, Mal reluctantly leaves to allow Charlotte to get ready and focus on the task at hand while she herself heads back to the other hotel and meets up with Carol, Mackenzie and Finn who was scheduled to arrive in town an hour previous. 

Most of the players opt to grab a smaller lunch or snack in advance of the 4:30 kick-off and Charlotte decides to stick with her normal pre-match foods and then stashes a bar and grabs a bottle of water to sip away on. 

With time winding down, they get changed and ready to make the trip to Orlando City Stadium. On the bus, the players continue their pre-game routine which for Charlotte means she has her usual playlist sounding out in her ears as she watches the scenery pass by. 

As they disembark the bus and take in the sights around them, everything becomes real and the butterflies begin to bounce around again as they make their way inside to the changeroom. 

Their Head Coach, Paul Ratcliffe relays his last words of encouragement and instructions before the team gets set to take to the pitch in their white kits after being designated as the Home side for the match. 

With all of the pre-game stuff taken care of the starting 11 for each side makes their way out and awaits the opening whistle. 

It takes 23 seconds for the Cardinal to register the first shot with Jaye sending a shot wide of the goal. Then a minute later, Andi sends a shot of her own high and over the crossbar. 

5 minutes after that the Gamecocks register their first attempt on goal with Meaghan Carrigan managing to get the ball off her foot before being shutdown. With not much on the shot, A.J. has no difficulties in smothering the ball and allowing her team to start their counter. 

Just under 10 minutes into the game South Carolina suffers a serious blow to their Championship dream when Ryan Garies goes down holding her knee after attempting to cut off a play. Eventually, after a rather lengthy stop in play, she is helped off the field and the game continues.

With play back underway, Stanford sets up around a free kick deep in the South Carolina end. Tegan McGrady sends the ball into the box and Jordan DiBiasi outmanoeuvres her coverage and connects on the header sending the ball into the netting and the Stanford loyal to their feet. 

After switching to the left side, to exploit a noticeable weak spot in coverage; Charlotte starts to see more of the ball and in the 26th minute, Tegan sends a ball forward for her to chase down the line, seeing two white shirts in the box see sends off a cross and watches as Jordan connects with it, sending the ball careening off a Gamecock defender and beyond the keeper to put them on top by two. 

She runs over and Jordan jumps in her arms, "Nice ball." 

"Nice finish, although it's not a game of pool, so bank shots don't usually work." 

They laugh before making the jog back for the restart. 

Minutes later, Charlotte has her best chance of the match so far, knocked down by the keeper's outstretched glove, before being subbed out. 

They come close yet again to making it three on the day only to see Tierna's header off of a corner be blocked just before time runs out. 

The Cardinal regroup and get additional instructions at the half and Charlotte returns to the field to start the second half. 

In the first minute of the second half, Charlotte finds herself with the ball at her feet in the Gamecock end and alludes the defenders, sending a shot on goal, hitting the post and then watching as it spins off the back of the opposing keeper and towards the goal line. The keeper moves quickly and smothers the loose ball while it sits on the goal line. As the goalkeeper sends the ball back in, the play is called to a stop by the referee in order so that the play can be reviewed and determine if, in fact, the ball had crossed over the line. 

After the referee reviews the play on a screen on the sidelines, all parties are satisfied that the ball didn't cross the line and the game continues with the Cardinal ahead by two.

As the game progresses the team from South Carolina begins to tire and it shows in the play as they are no longer chasing and the frustration with their inability to get beyond the stellar Cardinal defence mounts culminating in a few questionable fouls. 

As the minutes and seconds count down on the Gamecocks season, Savannah McCaskill who has been all but invisible during the game attempts to reap a little havoc in the Cardinal box, but nothing comes of it as A.J. is able to get her hands on the ball and send it right back downfield.

With only two minutes left in the game, Gamecocks keeper Krzeczowski mistimes her kick on a bouncing back pass and is thankful to watch the ball bounce wide of the goal rather than into the netting behind her. 

The voice over counts down, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and the final whistle sounds out allowing the Cardinal to celebrate their victory and a trip to the NCAA Championship on Sunday.

Charlotte is able to run over to the stands and embrace her Mom, Mackenzie, Finn and finally Mal as the waterworks are on full display. 

"Good game, Sis." 

"Thanks, Kenz." 

Charlotte looks at Finn and smiles, "So Finn, who are you cheering for in the second semi-final?" 

He looks at his favourite Duke shirt and then at the women around him, "Umm, whoever you guys tell me that I should cheer for." 

Mackenzie reaches over and taps him on his head, "Good boy."

They laugh at him as his face turns red in embarrassment.

"As long as you're cheering for me and my team in the Final, you are more than welcome to cheer for Duke in the Semi, but I'm just going to remind you that Ashley plays for UCLA; you know the same Ashley that you've asked about on a regular basis." 

Finn looks at her, "So, I probably should change my shirt." 

"Sounds like a plan, not to mention you kinda smell; did you forget to wear deodorant today or is that just the Duke smell coming off of you?" 

"Them's fighting words, Charlie!" 

Charlotte hears her name being called and hugs them all once more before sneaking in a quick kiss to Mal's cheek. 

"I'll see you soon." 

"Make sure you shower, because you ain't smelling like roses either right now, Gordon."

Charlotte laughs and shakes her head as she joins her teammates for post-game. 

As they make their way back to the changeroom, Charlotte catches a glimpse of Ashley and startles her with a hug from behind. 

"I didn't mean to scare you, I thought you heard me coming up behind you." 

Ashley takes out her earbuds, "What did you say?" 

"I just wanted to wish you good luck out there." 

"Thanks, Charlie and congrats." 

"I let you get back into game mode and I'll see you later." 

Ash smiles and nods as Charlotte makes her way to the changeroom. 

After getting cleaned up and eating the food brought in for them, the Cardinal vote to stick around and watch the first half of the UCLA and Duke game.

Charlotte sits with Mal and Finn who stuck around to watch the game while her Mom and Kenz decided to head out to have a non-fast food meal. 

She looks over at Finn and laughs at the fact that her friend is now wearing a Stanford shirt overtop of his still visible Duke Blue Devils one. 

"Gotta keep the meal ticket happy, right?" 

Charlotte smiles and shakes her head, before hugging him, "I've missed you. I'm glad that you're here Finnegan." 

"There was no way I was missing this. So what number is Ash?" 

"2, and please keep your drooling under control." 

He laughs, "I'll do my best, but those short shorts don't help my situation any." 

Charlotte smacks him, "You're such a guy sometimes!" 

"Oh come on we're all friends here, Charlie, you can be honest and admit that you like them too." 

Charlotte reaches for Mal's hand and smiles, before turning her attention back to the game. 

As the referee's whistle sounds out to end the first half the teams are scoreless. 

"Alright, time for us to head out." 

"Why can't we stay for the second half?" 

"Because the bus is needed elsewhere." 

The players stand up and begin to make there way out, Charlotte stays back with Mal and Finn and they decide to grab an Uber to Charlotte's hotel room and hang for a bit. 

Back at the hotel, most of the Stanford players find there way into the room where the UCLA and Duke game is playing on the big screen. 

The three find spots on the floor and watch as the game drags on and on without either team scoring in regulation and extra time, they prepare for penalty kicks to determine which team will be the Cardinals opposition in the Final. 

After 11 shooters, Marley Canales steps up and places the ball on the spot, knowing that if she is able to beat Duke keeper, E.J. Proctor, that the UCLA Bruins will be going through. 

She sets up and awaits the whistle, once it's blown she makes no mistake in making Proctor look the fool as she sends the ball to the netting as the keeper moves the other direction. 

Charlotte holds her face as they show the Bruins running on the field and celebrating. Mal looks at her, "What's wrong?" 

"Just thinking about the fact that I will never hear the end of it from Ash if we end up losing to them in the Championship."

Mal laughs, "I don't doubt that one bit. How about we head up to your room for some cuddling before bed?" 

"What about Finn?" 

"I guess he can too, maybe Lan will want a cuddle buddy." 

"Or maybe I can suggest that he head back to your hotel and help Kenz get everything in order for tomorrow." 

"That's a better idea." 

They share a kiss before Charlotte makes her way over to Finn, who has made himself quite at home with her teammates. 

"Finn?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Time for you to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" 

He looks over by the door and sees Mal waiting and smiles, "Let me guess, you two want some alone time." 

Charlotte smiles and nods. 

"Okay, I know when I'm not wanted." 

"Thanks, Finn. Love you." 

"Love you, too. Don't forget to use protection." 


	50. Chapter 50

The next morning Charlotte wakes up with a huge smile on her face, not only because of the outcome of the game but because she and Mal's least favourite Aunt decided to vacate the premises and allow them to celebrate before Alana returned to the room. 

She lays in the bed staring at the ceiling before her phone buzzes with a message. 

New Message

Finn: Everything is good and ready for your signature. 

Charlie: Okay, I have team recovery and breakfast soon. Give me a bit of time and I'll be over. 

Finn: Might want to hurry up because Mal and Kenz are getting pretty close. 

Charlie: Close how? 

Finn: Let's just say, that they are planning a shopping trip together on your dime. 

Charlie: Don't suppose you want to interject yourself into that situation until I can get there.

Finn: No way, have you seen Kenz' nails? She could take down a grown man with those. 

Charlie: You're far from a grown man, but point taken. Just keep an eye on them for me okay? Where's my Mom anyways? 

Finn: She and some of the other parents are having breakfast and getting to know each other better. 

Charlie: Oh, okay, I'm glad that she is being sociable. I'll message when I'm on my way, but it won't be for a while. 

Finn: Okay. 

Charlotte puts down her phone and makes her way over to her bag, grabbing some clothes and heading into the bathroom to get changed and complete her morning routine before heading down for some breakfast and recovery. 

"About time you showed up, Lan said you didn't even move when her alarm went off." 

Charlotte looks at her teammates and smiles, "Best sleep that I've had in a bit."

"A certain, Washington Spirit player wouldn't have had anything to do with that now, would she?" 

Charlotte looks at Jordan, "Maybe." 

"Uh-huh, we saw her leaving your room late." 

"We fell asleep together that's all." 

"Then perhaps you'd like to explain the noises that Jaye heard coming through the wall." 

Charlotte looks over at Tierna and A.J., "Not sure what you're referring to but perhaps you should ask them." 

The table of Cardinal players starts laughing as Tierna and A.J. try and figure out what they missed. 

After spending the next while in recovery mode with their teammates, Charlotte and Alana head back to their room, alternating using the bathroom and showering and getting changed. 

Charlotte checks her phone and then finishes putting her shoes on and packing her bag. 

"Don't forget you need to be back here by 5." 

"Already set an alarm to remind myself. Have fun hanging with your fam, Lan, and tell them Hello for me." 

"I will." 

Charlotte makes her way to the elevator and pushes the lobby button as she gets in. The doors open on a lower floor and Ash steps in, looking upset. 

"Whose ass do I have to kick?" 

Ash just shrugs, "Jessie doesn't think that we should continue our arrangement." 

"I thought that it was no strings attached." 

"It was or is; I think that she just doesn't want to tell me she is interested in someone who isn't me." 

Charlotte hugs her, "Seriously though, that Canadian must be a dumbass if she fails to realize the dime she currently has herself." 

Ashley laughs, "I'm really glad that you're here; you understand me in ways that Jessie never will. So where are you headed? And is it okay if I tag along?"

"Umm, I was just headed to hang out with Mal and my family." 

"Including Finn?" Charlotte laughs, "Yes, Finn is there." 

"I'm coming with." 

"Shouldn't you be staying here and chilling with your teammates?" 

"A couple of hours away won't hurt and I see my family all the time. Let's go." 

As they make their way to the hotel, Charlotte attempts to send a message to Mal, letting her know that Ash is with her and to hide the paperwork. 

The message remains on unread and she starts to grow concerned about it. Just as they make their way into the hotel lobby, she notices the bubble on the screen followed by a 👍. 

Making their way up to the room, Charlotte knocks on the door and is met by her girlfriend wrapping her arms around her and kissing her on the lips. 

"No kiss or hug for me, Pugh?" 

Mal reaches over and hugs Ash and then kisses her on the cheek, "Good?" 

"Could be better." 

They head into the room and join Mackenzie, Finn and Carol in the room.

As the Gordons and Mal all chat and catch up for a bit, Finn and Ashley make their way over to the corner and chat and laugh with each other.

Mackenzie looks over at the two, "You guys gotta admit, they're pretty cute together." 

"And they live across the country from each other, not to mention Ash is kinda still with someone, who isn't a male."

"Oh, does Finn know that?" 

"I figured it was Ash's place to tell him, not mine."

Mackenzie nods in agreement. 

Finn and Ashley stand up and walk over to them, "So, Ash and I decided that it's time to grab some lunch." 

"Okay, that sounds good, I'm hungry," Charlotte responds. 

"Babe, you're always hungry." 

Carol, Mackenzie and Finn all nod in agreement with Mal's comment. 

"There is a restaurant 5 minutes from here, it was recommended to me by a couple of the parents earlier." 

"Alrighty, then, lead the way, Mom." 

They all make their way to the restaurant and enjoy a meal together, not surprisingly finding other family members and teammates in the mix of people. 

Ashley looks at her phone as it continues to buzz and lets out a moan, "I need to get back to the hotel, Jessie wants to talk." She stands up and hugs everyone before pulling out some money to cover her food. 

Finn puts his hand up, "Don't worry about it, this ones on Charlie; after all, it's not like she can't afford it." 

The table goes quiet as Ashley ponders what was just said and looks at Charlotte for clarification. 

Charlotte thinking quickly on her feet starts laughing, "Finn, how many times have I told you that not everyone gets an allowance like you still do." She looks at Ashley and smiles, "It's fine though, I got you today; you can get next. Message me later if you want to talk, ok?" 

Ashley makes her way out of the restaurant and all eyes turn to focus on Finn. 

"What the hell, Finn?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Ash doesn't know about my alter ego." 

"She's like your best friend and you haven't told her about it?" 

"No."

"Why not?"

"Never been the right time or place and you know how small I'm trying to keep the circle."

"I'm really sorry Charlie, I just assumed that she was in on it." 

Mackenzie pipes up, "Why did you think that Mal made you hide the papers before they came?" 

"I guess I figured it was more that you didn't want her to know the money factor than anything." 

Charlotte looks at him with a serious look or as serious as she possibly can look, "If it happens again, I won't think twice about cancelling your allowance, or your chance at little Finnegan's understood?" 

Finn quickly nods, wanting to respond, but thinking better of it at the moment.

"Good, now let's finish up because I need to head back to the hotel soon as well."

The group heads back up to the hotel room and the papers are laid back out for Charlotte to sign. Finn calls his father over Facetime and Mr. Finnegan walks her through everything and tells her where to sign and initial in order to make everything official. 

"We all good, Dad?" 

"Looks like it, Matthew, please ensure that Mackenzie reviews the papers as well and signs on the lines as the representative for J.C. Glass." 

"Will do. Bye, Dad." 

Once the paperwork is complete and the copies separated, Charlotte can't help but sit down on the bed as the tears begin to roll down her cheeks. Mal sits down beside her and pulls her into her side, "What's up, Babe?" 

"I wish that my Dad, was here to see this moment." 

Carol walks over and drops down on her knees in front of Charlotte, taking her hands in her own. "He is here, maybe not physically, but inside each one of us." 

"Thanks, Mom; I love you." 

"Love you, too. Now, don't you need to be someplace?" 

Charlotte nods, "I do." 

Charlotte hugs her Mom, sister and even Finn after smacking him on the back of the head, causing him to let out a loud, "Oww" and the others to laugh. 

Mal walks out with her girlfriend, and they stand there and hold each other. "Go and enjoy your evening with your team, get to bed early and I will see you in the morning." 

"Love you, Mally." 

"Love you, too, C.J." 

They share a few short kisses before a longer emotional and love-filled one and then Charlotte leaves her as she makes her way back to her own hotel, for the teams chill night.

Later that evening, Charlotte and Alana both lay in bed, neither ready nor able to sleep just yet. 

"You nervous about the game, Lan?" 

"Yeah, you?" 

"Yeah." 

"Take some breaths and focus on what's within your control. That's what I'm trying to do." 

Charlotte closes her eyes and begins to focus on her breathing and manifesting good images in her head before finally being able to relax enough to fall asleep. 

The next morning the alarm sounds out scaring both of them out of a dead sleep. 

"It's so early, the rooster isn't even up yet." 

Alana laughs at the comment, "Good thing we set out our stuff last night because I'm not inclined at the moment to do anything but go back to sleep." 

"It's the big day, Lan, we can't go back to sleep." 

"I know, we best get up now and get moving." 

They make themselves presentable before heading down to have something to eat and after some simple conversations with their teammates, they head back upstairs to relax for a short time and then get themselves ready for the early start time. 

New Message

Mally: Good morning beautiful. Just wanted to wish you luck and to say I LOVE YOU. 💋💋💋🤗🤗🤗 🏆🏆🏆

C.J: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

All too soon, they are putting on their playlists and riding the bus back to Orlando City Stadium in advance of the NCAA Women's College Cup Final featuring an all PAC-12 matchup between the #1 ranked team Stanford Cardinal taking on the #4 ranked UCLA Bruins. 

The players for both sides sit in their changerooms and as game time draws nearer the rooms get quieter as the focus is no longer on their current playlists, but on their Coaching staff and teammates, some of whom will be playing their last game in school colours. 

They head out to get warmed up and then return for to listen to the final words of encouragement and wisdom before making their way out onto the field in front of the crowd of 2000 plus in the stands and countless others watching the events unfold live on ESPN. After all of the pregame stuff is looked after, the players hit the field for the opening kickoff with Stanford in their white tops and red shorts and UCLA in their blue and gold. 

A minute and a half into play, Madison Haley finds a hole in the UCLA defence and sends a wakeup call just wide of the far post and a diving Teagan Micah. 

As the opening minutes tick by, Tegan McGrady makes a run down the left side of the pitch, resulting in the ball being knocked out for a corner kick and Charlotte heads over to take it. As the whistle sounds out she strikes the ball deep in the box only to have no player in white able to get to it before it's cleared out. 

11 minutes into the game and Jessie Fleming springs Hailie Mace behind the Cardinal backs only to see Alana get on her horse and strip the ball from her feet before she gets a shot on goal. 

At the 14th minute mark, the Bruins take advantage of a throw-in deep in the Cardinal zone, and Zoey Goralski works some magic in the box, sending the ball across and looking for someone to knock it in only for A.J. to be alert and get her gloves on the loose ball. 

A minute later after Charlotte breaks free down the sideline, she sends the ball on target only to see it ricochet up and over a Bruins player and handicap the keeper Micah who came forward in an attempt to play it, Kyra Carusa ends up being Johnny on the spot and makes no mistake in burying the volley in the netting to put the Cardinal on top and giving Charlotte an assist on the play. 

UCLA has another opportunity off a corner in the 17th minute, but A.J. climbs the stairs and scoops the ball out of the air before any harm can come of it.

In the 20th minute, Madison Haley sends the ball forward to Charlotte and seeing an opening she plays a through ball for Andi who runs onto it and beats Micah one on one to put her team on top by two. 

The Cardinal players celebrate on the field and then with their teammates on the sidelines while their friends and family members cheer them on in the stands. 

As Mal watches the replay on the big screen, she smiles proudly as she sees her girlfriend play a beautiful ball to set up their Captain. 

"Damn, that was nice." Mal smiles and laughs at Finn. "Yeah, it was." 

Charlotte sends one more shot on goal before being subbed out in the 42nd minute in favour of Civana. 

As they break for the half and head into the changerooms, Charlotte grabs some water and a couple of bites of a protein bar to keep her energy level up for what is sure to be an interesting second half. 

In the 51st minute of play, Kyra Carusa is taken down in the Bruins box and calls for a penalty go unheeded by the referee as play continues on with Carusa getting back on her feet and trying to regain possession of the ball but having no luck before it goes out of play. 

Off the ensuing corner kick, Teagan Micah makes up for her earlier issues with a save to keep her team in the match off the foot of Jaye. 

In the 54th minute, the referee's whistle sounds out and she points to the spot in front of A.J. as well as showing the keeper a yellow card for taking Zoey Goralski down in the box. 

Jessie Fleming steps up to the spot and waits for the whistle, she strikes the ball towards the goal and A.J. guesses right getting her gloves on it but watching as the ball strikes the netting beside her. 

The Bruins celebrate breaking the shutout and 4 minutes later the re-energized squad ties up the match at two after Delanie Sheehan makes them pay with a header from a corner kick. 

With 66 minutes of the 90 minutes already played, Stanford works the ball around the outskirts of the Bruin box and goal, as the ball is half-heartedly cleared out Jaye who is waiting at the top of the box knocks it down and sends a hard left-footed strike past a diving Micah and putting the Cardinal back on top. 

As time begins to wind down on the season UCLA has yet to give up and makes a point of testing A.J. and the Cardinal line a few more times but to no avail and as the clock hits one minute remaining in the game the friends and family of the players rise to the feet and cheer them on. 

UCLA lets their final shot fly as the clock hits zero and their season comes to a close with a loss to their PAC-12 rivals and the number one team by a final score of 3 - 2. 

The Cardinal players and staff run onto the field and celebrate their victory and after taking the time to congratulate the members of the UCLA team, hoist the trophy over their heads as the Champions. 

Seeing Ashley in tears, Charlotte feels absolutely horrible but has faith that her bestie will rebound and come back stronger than ever. 

She runs over to the stands and celebrates with her family and throwing caution to the wind lays a big ole kiss on Mal's lips. "I love you." 

"Love you, now go and celebrate, you deserve it. I'll see you back at the hotel and we can celebrate in our own way later, superstar."


	51. Chapter 51

Charlotte walks behind Mal with her arms full of bags containing Christmas presents.

"Mally, please, can we go home now? My arms are hurting and I might strangle the next person who says Merry Christmas or jingles one of their bells towards me."

Mal laughs at her, "C'mon, Scrooge, I just need to get one more present and then we can go home and decorate our tree."

"Babe, our tree is like two feet tall, it's not going to take that long to decorate and I'm not a Scrooge; I'm just tired and still have to study for my finals."

"C.J. you're like a genius, I'm fairly certain you could walk into your finals without even having cracked open a book and still pass with flying colours."

"I probably could, doesn't mean that I should."

"Just because you're extremely cute when you pout I'll make it quick, okay?"

Charlotte nods and follows behind her girlfriend into what she hopes is the last store they will visit on the day.

Mal kisses her on the cheek, "Thank you for coming with me today and carrying my bags."

"Uh-huh, you owe me a massage because my arms and shoulders hurt."

"My poor baby, I'll give you a massage and then some." Mal smiles and winks at her before turning to walk towards where the car is.

Charlotte smiles and shakes her head in acknowledgement of how whipped she is, before following in Mal's footsteps.

After loading all of the packages in the back of Mal's car they make the drive back to the apartment and then make a couple of trips back and forth to bring them inside.

Charlotte drops on the couch and looks at the mess of bags and wrapping paper around her, "I can't believe you bought that much stuff today, how are you planning on getting it all back to Denver?"

"A lot of it is for Marley, and I'll pay for another suitcase to bring it with me on the plane, also, there may be a few things for you in those bags as well."

Charlotte looks at her and gives her a smile, "What did you get me?"

Mal shakes her head, "You're going to have to wait to find out just like everyone else and if I find you digging around looking for stuff I'm going to send you back to the dorm."

"Um, you do realize that technically I'm paying for this apartment, right?"

"I do, but your Mom already told me about your tendency to get into your presents ahead of time."

"That was once, okay, maybe twice, but it was Kenz's fault she told me to do it!"

"Baby, just promise me that you will stay out of stuff, okay?"

"I promise, Captain Mally."

Mal laughs, "Alright, now are you helping me wrap or decorating the tree?"

"I'll take tree duty and then supper duty for 1000, Alex!"

Mal shakes her head, "I knew that I shouldn't have introduced you to the game show channel."  
  
  


They spend the next while listening to music, decorating their little tree and the apartment, as well as Mal, getting some wrapping done while Charlotte tackles supper duty.   
  
  


Charlotte feels arms wrap around her as Mal lays her head on her back. "Smells amazing, how long until it's ready?"

"15 minutes."

"Perfect, come and snuggle with me on the couch."

"Fine, just let me set the timer."

They make their way over to the couch and share a couple of kisses before Mal snuggles into Charlotte's side.

"I wish we could stay like this forever."

"What on the couch or together?" Mal smacks her arm, "Together, you goof!"

"I know, I just wanted to hear you say it. And for what's it worth I can't wait to spend forever with you, Baby."

They share another kiss as the timer goes off, "Time to eat."   
  
  


After they finish eating and tidying up the dishes and mess of wrapping paper, they plug in the Christmas lights around the room and retake their places on the couch.

"I really should be studying, right now."

"Relax tonight and I promise to leave you alone tomorrow so you can study until your heart is content."

"In other words, you haven't finished shopping."

Mal leans over and kisses her, "I can't exactly shop for you when you're with me now can I?"

"I guess not. While you're at it do you think you can pick up gifts for all my family as well?"

"What? Are you serious, you haven't bought anything for them yet?"

Charlotte laughs, "I'm only kidding, Babe. I'm almost done with my shopping as well; I just wasn't sure what to get your parents."

"I got plenty of stuff for both of them as well as Bri and even Jace; we can say that they are from both of us."

"Deal."

"Is it going to weird for you not spending Christmas with your family?"

"Yeah, but we've already decided to have a big celebration for New Year's instead and my Grandparents are coming to stay for a couple of days as well."

"Are you finally going to tell them about the books?"

"I'm not sure; I want to but my Papa has a big mouth and he likes to brag about me when he meets up with his buddies. I'm concerned that he might let it slip out and that's why I haven't told either of them."

"I get that; your Papa is awesome but he's a bit of a handful, like someone else in his family I know."

"I'm not a handful!"

"Babe, remember what happened when we went to the trampoline place?"

"You mean the one where I'm no longer welcome because I made a couple of kids cry while playing dodgeball?" 

Mal laughs, "Yeah, that one." 

"It's not my fault they were wimps." 

"C.J. you threw at their heads!" 

"Technically, I wasn't aiming for their heads, they were just short and that's where they got hit."

Mal facepalms beside her and can't hide her laughing. "Okay, I'm going to grab a shower before bed, care to join me?" 

Charlotte stands up and reaches her hand out to help Mal up, "Let's go beautiful."

After enjoying a shower together, they dry each other off and then get dressed in some comfies before climbing into the bed. "Don't think I've forgotten about you owing me a massage, Mally." 

Mal snuggles into her side and kisses her cheek before laying her head on Charlotte's chest. "I'll make you a deal, tomorrow we can break out the massage oil and have some fun with it." 

"Fun, huh? I'm good with that. Night, baby, love you." Charlotte kisses Mal's head before laying back, closing her eyes and letting sleep take over.

The next morning, Charlotte and Mal get up and then head out for a run together before returning to the apartment, having breakfast and getting cleaned up. 

Charlotte sits on the floor with her back against the couch and papers laid out on the floor in front of her. 

Mal looks down and then up at her girlfriend, "Is that even English?" 

"It is. You on your way out?" 

"Yep, do you need anything while I'm out?" 

"Nope, I'm good, but, do you think that you can pick up some pizza and ice cream for supper?"

Mal smiles, "The usual?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Yes, please." 

"Okay, call or message me if you think of anything else. Have fun studying whatever that is. Love you." 

"Love you, Babe."

They share a quick kiss before Mal heads on her way and Charlotte heads to the kitchen to refill her coffee cup. 

A few hours later and Charlotte is confident in her ability to recall all the steps, equations and formulations involved and she decides to call it quits on studying for a bit. 

Opening a file on her computer, she rereads the words that she has spent the last several months placing there and then debates a bit before deciding to continue typing away on the file named, "Revelation." 

She adds a few more chapters to the tally and smiles at the screen as she begins to develop and create a better understanding as to why the Secure Future Foundation was formed in the first place and the importance of their research into computers, microchips, brain development and manipulation.

She saves what she has written and closes her laptop, before picking up her phone and calling her sister. 

Ring, ring

"Please tell me that you are about to swoop in and save me from all these idiotic Christmas shoppers?" 

Charlotte laughs, "Sorry Kenz, no can do. Where are you anyway?"

"Salmon Run Mall." 

"Oh, what are you doing there?" 

"Looking for a Christmas present for you." 

"What is it?" 

She hears her sister laugh, "I'm not telling you. So, what's up?" 

"I need to tell you something." 

"Did you get Mal, pregnant?" 

"Kenz, be serious."

"What's on your mind, C.J.?" 

"Are you away from people? Because if you're not, you should probably move before I tell you." 

"You didn't propose already, did you?" 

"No! Now, are you alone?" 

"Go ahead and make it quick, because I'm busy." 

"Okay then, here it is; I have about 20 chapters of a possible prequel written." 

"WHAT? OMG, SERIOUSLY? THAT'S AWESOME!!! When do you think it will be done?" 

"I'm not sure, I'm not even sure if it's any good. I've been working away on it when I've needed an escape from school stuff and it's been rather slow going." 

"C.J., I guarantee if it's anything like you've already written it will be amazing. Has Mal read it?" 

"No, Mal doesn't know about it, only me and now you."

"Wait, is this the book that you hinted at before?" 

"No, I still have an idea for another book as well, but, it wouldn't be like any of the books in The Known Universe series."

"Okay, you got me intrigued, what would it be about?" 

"NASA, astronauts, murder a la James Patterson." 

"We are definitely going to discuss this all further when you get home; by the way, when are you landing?" 

"28th." 

"Have you figured out what you are going to say to Mal's parents yet?" 

"I'm just going to go with whatever feels right at the moment." 

"You'll do fine. I can't wait to go ring shopping with you!" 

"Yeah, well, just remember that I'm shopping for my future wife and not you."

Mackenzie cracks up and starts laughing. 

"What?" 

"Sorry, it was just weird hearing you say my future wife when I can't even lock down a good guy for myself." 

"Finn's still single and looking to mingle," Charlotte says as she laughs.

"Eww, that's never going to happen, Finn is like a brother; not boyfriend material." 

"Just saying that you could do worse." 

"I'll keep that in mind. I need to get back to shopping hell, now. You're still a medium, right?" 

"Umm, yeah."

"Hey, C.J., what did you get Mal for Christmas?" 

"A Gucci bag, Chanel earrings and a few other things."

"Cough" "Flex" "Cough"

Charlotte laughs, "Bye, Kenz." 

"Bye, C.J." 

Charlotte decides to revisit her notes for a bit before finally tucking them all back in her bag and curling up on the couch with a movie. 

Mal comes home with her arms full and calls Charlotte for some help, but when she receives no response she looks for her girlfriend, finding her out cold on the couch with the Netflix logo on the TV screen. 

She sets the pizza on the counter and ice cream in the freezer, before bending down to place a kiss on her drooling girlfriend's cheek after snapping a quick picture to torment her with in the future. 

"Wake up, Babe." 

Charlotte slowly opens her eyes and smiles when she sees Mal looking down on her, "Hey beautiful." 

"Hey, yourself. I've got a few more bags to bring up from the car; do you want to go ahead and dish us out some slices?" 

Charlotte sits up quickly almost falling off the couch in the process, "PIZZA!" 

Mal shakes her head, "Let me guess, you didn't eat lunch." 

"Kinda forgot." 

"Uh-huh."

Mal walks towards the door, "Be back in a few." 

Charlotte stretches out and then after a quick trip to the bathroom, grabs out some paper plates and dishes out a couple of slices for them and grabs a couple of drinks from the fridge setting them out on the coffee table. 

Mal returns and heads right into the bedroom, before taking off her shoes and jacket and dropping her purse by the door. 

She walks over and hugs Charlotte, "How was studying?" 

"Good, I'll be glad when the next few days are over with." 

"Me too, because you promised me a few days of fun in the sun, water and sand before we head to my parents." 

"Already looked after. If you're nice, maybe we'll even go to Disneyland."

Mal smiles at her, "You already booked us tickets for it didn't you?" 

"I've never been there and it looks really cool. Is that okay with you?" 

"Of course it's okay with me. I can't wait."

"Hey Mally, I want to tell you something." 

Mal takes a bite of her pizza and looks at her, waiting for her to speak. 

"I love you and also, I started writing another book." Charlotte smiles at her.

"Love you too, did you just say you started writing another book?"

Charlotte nods, "I've been pecking away at it for a couple of months now and it's starting to take shape. It would be a prequel to the rest of the books, I think that I'm going to call it "Revelation." 

"So, is this what you've been doing when I catch you on your computer at weird hours of the night?" 

"Guilty, I can't control when the waves of inspiration hit me. I'm sorry if I've woke you up." 

"Honestly, it explains a lot. You do know that you mumble in your sleep, right?" 

"Oh, no what did I say? and should I be concerned that Lan heard anything?" 

"Don't worry, you keep saying Sarah one night and I was starting to wonder who you were referring to but I'm guessing it's the Sarah from the books." 

"Yes, spoiler alert, her parents were instrumental in founding the Secure Future Foundation and the initial batch of implants." 

"Damn, did not see that coming." Charlotte laughs. "Any chance that I can read what you've already written?" 

"Nope, but you will be the first to read it when it's finished." 

"Okay, I can live with that. So, I seem to recall a conversation about massages." 

Charlotte stands up and after they tidy up and shut off everything they make their way back into the bedroom. As Mal circles the room lighting some candles and then putting on some music, Charlotte takes off her clothes and then helps Mal out of hers. 

They lay towels down on the bed and after sharing a few kisses, Mal gets Charlotte to lay down on her chest as she grabs the oil and then after climbing beside her on the bed begins the process of squirting the oil on her back and then slowly, rubbing it in as Charlotte lets out a few moans underneath her. "You're really tight, baby." 

"Not everywhere I'm not." 

She hears Mal giggle, "Not tonight, now relax and let me do my thing." 

"Aye, aye, Captain Mally."

As Mal continues to rub away at Charlotte's neck, shoulders, back and even down her legs it gets very quiet and she smiles with the realization that she put her girlfriend to sleep. 

After wiping off her hands and completing her nighttime routine, she makes sure that the alarm is set so that Charlotte won't be late for training the next morning and then covers both of them over for the night. 


	52. Chapter 52

Charlotte packs up some of her stuff in the dorm room as Alana does the same on the other side of the room. 

"You're sure that it's okay for me to leave my stuff at Mal's apartment while I'm home for the holidays?" 

"It's fine. She has a reserved storage space in the basement of the building and that's where I've been putting my extra stuff, that I don't want to leave in the dorm over the holidays."

"So, you're keeping the apartment even with her planning on staying in Denver after the holidays?" 

"Yeah, the lease agreement runs for another few months, so I guess in the meantime it will be my home away from you." 

"I'm fine with that as long as you invite me over for supper on a regular basis." 

"Deal." 

"Charlie, have you heard from the U-20 team yet? Tierna was mentioning earlier that she had already spoken with the Coach."

Charlotte shakes her head, "No, I'm assuming that they are going to notify everyone who is invited soon and hopefully that includes me." 

"After your season, there's not a chance you won't get the call." 

"I hope so. I wish you were playing as well." 

"I've moved on to bigger and better things now." 

Charlotte laughs, "Uh-huh."

Charlotte and Alana move their boxes of belongings into the storage area before riding the elevator up to the apartment and chilling with Mal for a bit. 

Soon it's time for Alana to head back to the dorm and finish packing for her flight home the next morning, so they all hug and exchange Merry Christmas' 

Alana heads to the door and Charlotte yells out, "Don't forget to message me when you land." 

"I will enjoy your mini-vacay, family time and I'll see you soon, Charlie, Mal." 

"Bye Lan. Safe flights."

Once Alana leaves Charlotte ensures that the door is locked, before pushing Mal into the bedroom, quickly helping her out of her clothes and then making love to her. 

Laying together afterwards, Mal turns to looks at her, "What was that all about?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Umm, the fact that you just went all Daddy mode on me." 

"Daddy mode, huh? You didn't look like you had a problem with it." 

"Definitely not, just curious what prompted it." 

"I guess talking with Lan just made me realize that I have limited time left with you, so I wanted to make use of some of it." 

"I'm fine with that, but you do know we still need to finish packing, right?" 

"Bikini, bikini, bikini, check and done!" Charlotte draws an imaginary checkmark in the air causing Mal to start laughing. 

"Pretty certain, you can't wear a bikini at Disney, Babe." 

"Oh, I wasn't planning on; I meant for you to wear one and me to drool over you and your rocking body." 

Mal rubs her hand over Charlotte's chest and abdominal area, "I'm not the only one with a rocking body."

Charlotte lays back enjoying the feeling of Mal's finger drawing pictures on her when her phone starts ringing and ringing and ringing beside her on the bedroom floor. 

"You planning on answering that?" 

"It's Ash's ringtone, she can leave a message; it's our time." Charlotte leans over and joins Mal's lips in a passionate kiss before they finally decide that it's not only time to finish packing but also grab some food as Charlotte's stomach rumbles.

After putting on some comfies, the pair makes quick work of throwing a couple of days worth of clothes and toiletries into their bags, before heading out to the kitchen to nuke some leftovers for supper. 

Charlotte picks up her phone and listens to the voicemail that Ash left, "Call me back." shaking her head as she hits the button to dial her friend. 

"Why didn't you answer when I called? Were you and Pugh getting busy?" 

"Yes, now, what was so important that you needed to call me 5 times in a span of 15 minutes?" 

"I just got a call from Jitka inviting me to the U-20 camp and was wondering if you got yours yet." 

"Maybe, I got a call from an Unknown number earlier and I didn't answer it." 

"Well, if the number calls back, answer it!" 

"Alright, I will, geez kinda sounds like you want to play with me Sanchez; do you miss me?" 

"No, I'm still upset with you for beating us at the College Cup." 

"I know, trust me when I say seeing you in tears after the game broke me. Did Jessie even bother to tell you that I came looking for you at the hotel afterward?" 

"No, she didn't say anything and we aren't really talking much at the moment. She even left here without saying goodbye." 

"I'm sorry, Ash." 

"It's okay, I should have known better than to get involved with a teammate. So when are you and Mal heading out?" 

"Actually, we are coming your way for a couple of days before heading to Denver." 

"Surfing trip?" 

"Maybe a bit depends on the waves; we are going to Disneyland, too." 

"Can I come with you guys?" 

"I need to clear it with Mal, before I say, yes, but I'll let you know. It's supposed to be just an us trip." 

"Oh, I get it; y'all have fun and don't worry about me." 

Charlotte hears her phone cut out, "Ash, that number is calling me again. I'll talk to you later, okay?" 

"Yep, bye."

Charlotte presses the button to hang up on Ashley and answer the other line. 

"Hello?" 

"Is this Charlotte Gordon?" 

"Yes, who is this?" 

"Jitka Klimková, the Head Coach of the US Under 20 team." 

"Oh, yes, what can I do for you?" 

"I'm calling to congratulate you on an outstanding season at Stanford and also to invite to our upcoming CONCACAF camp in Tallahassee, Florida." 

"Thank you, Coach and I'm definitely interested in joining the camp." 

"Perfect, I look forward to working with you. You'll receive an email shortly with all the pertinent information." 

"Thank you, Coach. Bye, now." 

"Bye, Charlotte." 

"MAL?" 

"WHAT?" 

"I JUST GOT INVITED TO THE U20 CAMP IN JANUARY!"

Mal comes out of the bedroom, "Congratulations." 

"Thanks, oh, I need to message Ash and let her know." 

New Message

Charlie: You need a roomie for the U20 camp? I just got the call.

Ash: YES! I can't wait! Do you think they'll let us be roommates?

Charlie: Don't know. Remember I haven't met the Coach yet, because I wasn't able to play with my knee injury.

Ash: Right. I always forget about that because you came back faster than before.

Charlie: Nah, you just got slower. I gotta go, talk soon. 

The next afternoon, Charlotte and Mal throw their bags in the trunk of the car and make the drive to Huntington Beach, stopping a few times along the way before checking in at the Hyatt Regency for the next three days and nights. 

Entering the room and looking around, Mal laughs when she sees the oversize bathtub, "I guess I know what you were thinking now when you were specific to booking this room."

Charlotte wraps her arms around her girlfriend and places a gentle kiss on her lips, "I would love to have been able to whisk you away to an island paradise, but the timing isn't right; so I wanted to make sure that we could create our own little paradise here." Charlotte walks over to her bag and pulls out another smaller one inside it, revealing candles and sets them around the edge of the tub. 

There is a knock on the door and Charlotte walks over allowing a cart to be pushed inside before sliding a tip in the guy's hand and closing the door behind him. 

"What's all this?" 

"I went ahead and ordered supper and dessert for us, along with some sparkling cider. I figured we could eat and then take a walk along the beach and watch the sunset together." 

"You seriously thought of everything didn't you?" 

"Not quite, I kinda forgot that since neither of us is of drinking age yet, so we can't even enter some of the places around here, hence the room service."

"That's okay with me." 

"Good. Let's eat before it gets cold and then do some exploring." 

They finish eating their fancy pasta dishes and dessert, along with the bottle of sparkling cider before changing into more suitable clothing to walk along the beach. Leaving the food cart in the hallway, they make their way outside across the highway and parking lot to the sandy beach. 

Mal leans back against Charlotte's chest as they watch the water and the sun starts to set. 

"Hey Babe, would you ever consider getting married at the beach?" 

Mal turns around and smiles at her, "I would, but that would require an engagement first."

Mal retakes her place in Charlotte's arms as they watch the sunset together, before taking a short walk and then returning to the hotel to break in the oversize tub together. 

Mal lights the candles as Charlotte drops some essential oils in the water. After making sure their hair won't get wet, they finish undressing and climb into the lavender-scented water together. 

"Mal, can I ask you something?" 

"Let me guess, you want to know if I was serious when I mentioned an engagement earlier?" 

Charlotte nods, "Were you? I mean I know that we discussed waiting until we were a bit older to get married, but we never actually discussed the when and ifs of getting engaged." 

"C.J., I love you and the main reason I suggested we wait until we were older to get married was that I want you to be finished school first; I know how important it is to you and I don't want wedding planning to interfere with that for you. As for getting engaged, it's the next logical step for us, but there again, I'm not putting pressure on you for it to happen. When we are both ready it will happen and it's not like we have to get married immediately after getting engaged, right?" 

"Right, some people stay engaged for years and even decades before getting married or don't ever get married." 

"Yeah, well the not getting married isn't an option for me; the 'rents have made it perfectly clear that they expect me to be married before I even think about having kids." 

"They do realize the fact that neither of us having a penis complicates the whole having kids thing, right?" 

Mal laughs, "Yes." 

"So, you said kids as in more than one, how many are you thinking of having?" 

"Who says I'm having them? You got the same equipment as me, Babe." 

"Okay, so I'll take that as a to be determined." 

Mal reaches her arms out for Charlotte, "Baby, come here." 

Charlotte allows Mal to wrap her arms around her, "I know the wheels are still turning up there, so listen to me, please. You supported me when others didn't in my decision to go pro rather than go to UCLA; because you understood that it was a means to fulfill my dream of playing for the USWNT. I know that finishing school and graduating at the top of your class is your dream and I am 100% behind you in that. Planning a wedding and getting married takes a lot of time, work and patience to come about and I don't want that to come before you reach your dream. We will get married, but only after you make that walk across the stage and we will have a family when the timing is right for both of us. Now, as for getting engaged, I'm game whenever you are because honestly, everyone keeps asking when it's going to happen." 

"You could always propose, you know, instead of waiting for me to do it." 

"And miss out on the chance of seeing you get down on one knee and dazzle me with your words and a sparkler, that's not going to happen." 

"Oh, so it's all about the size of the bling, now huh?" 

"No, I would say yes even if you proposed with a Ring Pop." 

"Even if it's a Watermelon one?" 

"I'd probably have to say no if it was a Watermelon one." 

Charlotte laughs, "I love you and I understand and appreciate what you are saying."

"Good, now, Baby, I think it's time for us to try out the bed, I'm looking more than a little pruney." 

Charlotte climbs out of the tub and collects a towel off the rack to wrap around Mal as she follows her out of the cool water. 

"For what it's worth Mally, I would never propose with a Watermelon Ring Pop, when I know your favourite is Strawberry."

Charlotte tucks the towel around herself and is surprised when Mal pulls it off of her and throws it on the floor along with her own. "I really don't think we need those now do we?" 

They join in a kiss and then another and another each progressing in need as they make their way over to the bed and continue to enjoy each other. 

Spending the next few hours appreciating and enjoying every inch of each other's body before laying together under the comforter. 

Mal plays with Charlotte's hair as they lay in place, "How long do you think it's going to take you to finish writing, Revelation?" 

"I'm not sure, it hasn't been coming to me as quickly as the other stories did. I think it's mostly because I already know the ending of it, so I'm needing to work backwards and find the most logical beginning." 

"Makes sense. I'm sure that when it's done it will be another bestseller for J.C. Glass. Just make sure you send a copy to my Mom when it's done, okay?" 

"So she can put it on display in the bookcase with the others?" 

Mal giggles, "You know Bri asked why she had your books on stands and facing outward instead of inline like the rest of the books." 

"And what did Karen say?" 

"That she liked the covers and the air of mystery around who the author was. Also that they generated conversation when guests were over. J.C. Glass apparently really gets around! Should I be jealous of all your conquests, Babe?" 

"Huh? What? I have conquests? I may need to gather more information prior to formulating an opinion as to whether you should be jealous or not." 

"C.J.!" 

Charlotte laughs, "Seriously though, what's the deal?" 

"I take it that you've never skimmed over any fan sites or blogs pertaining to your alter ego?" 

"Nope, that's Mackenzie's job, not mine." 

"Well, then I should probably let you know that you are allegedly a 50-year-old English playboy living in London." 

"Ummm, Ewww? Really? I need to get Kenz on that, that can't be a good thing for my teenage and early twenty-something demo." 

"Probably not. So, what have you planned for us to do tomorrow?" 

"Nothing. I figured we would see where the day takes us." 

"Sounds perfect. Night, C.J." 

"Sweet dreams, Mally." 


	53. Chapter 53

After returning from their mini-vacay together the previous afternoon, Charlotte lays in the bed with a smile plastered across her face as she hears Mal moving around the apartment gathering up the last of her things.

Mal walks into the bedroom and shakes her head at the fact that even after already being called two times Charlotte has yet to move from under the covers. 

"Babe, c'mon, we're going to be late for our flight!" Mal nudges Charlotte, "You need to get up and get moving, pronto." 

Charlotte smirks at her before pulling her girlfriend down on top of her and then kissing her, "I'm quite comfy where I am." 

Mal climbs off her and stands back up, "Get up now or else there will be no Christmas presents under the tree for you." 

"Why would I be concerned about a lack of presents underneath the tree when I already have the angel from the top of it smiling at me." 

"Oh my God, C.J. just get up and stop trying to be cute." Mal laughs as she walks out of the room. 

"I'm not trying to be cute, I am cute, Babe!" Charlotte yells at her girlfriend. 

She hears Mal yell back, "Then get your cute little butt up already!" 

Charlotte laughs and finally decides it's time to climb out of the nice warm bed. She heads into the bathroom to complete her morning routine prior to putting on the travel clothes that she put on the chair last night to wear and the somewhat dirty ones are shoved in her suitcase. 

She finishes packing her last few things around her winter jacket and heavier clothing, before zipping it up and pulling it out to sit beside Mal's already packed suitcase by the door. 

She heads towards the kitchen where Mal hands her a coffee or what she thinks is coffee. Taking a mouthful she cringes, "Is there any coffee in this or is it just flavoured milk?" 

"It was either use it in our coffees or dump it down the sink. And you didn't get to choose because you're a lazy ass who didn't want to get up." 

"I wasn't lazy last night, now was I, Ms. four orgasms?"

Mal blushes and smiles, "Just drink your coffee, we need to leave in 20." 

Charlotte wraps her arm around Mal's waist and pulls her closer before gently kissing her lips, "I love you." 

"I love you, too." Mal returns her kiss, "But, my parents aren't going to be happy if we miss our flight."

"We won't, how about we dump this definitely not worthy of being even called coffee, head to the airport and get checked in and then we can grab some real coffee and something to eat." 

"Sounds like a plan." They share another kiss and hug before ensuring that everything is looked after and then making their way down to the car that Charlotte summoned for them. 

After setting their suitcases in the trunk, they are driven to the airport and make their way inside. "Stay close, Mally, I don't want to lose you in the crowd. I never expected it to be this busy so early in the morning." 

"Welcome to travelling during the holiday season, Babe."

After they get themselves checked in for the flight, Mal scopes out seats for them while Charlotte sources out caffeine and sustenance for them. She returns with two cups of liquid Gold and muffins for them to polish off before their flight is called. 

Once aboard the plane they put their headphones on, lay back and close their eyes for the relatively short flight to Colorado. Upon landing at Denver International Airport, they make their way through and collect their suitcases before searching out Horace in the crowd. 

After locating Mal's father, sharing hugs and greetings they follow him out and throw their luggage in the back of his SUV before climbing in and making the drive to Littleton, where the rest of the Pugh clan is awaiting their arrival. 

Mal jumps out of the front seat as they pull in the driveway and quickly runs inside leaving Charlotte and Horace in a trail of slush leftover from an earlier snowfall. 

"I've got the bags, Charlie, you go ahead in." 

"Are you sure, Horace?" 

"Yes, now get inside before you catch a cold; I'll never hear the end of it if you do." 

"But..."

"Charlie, just let me do this and go inside." 

"Yes, Sir." 

Charlotte makes her way inside and joins Mal and Karen in the kitchen, hugging Karen before feeling a body press up against her legs. 

She looks down and smiles, "Hi." 

The young girl looks up at her before running over to Mal and being scooped up in her arms. 

Mal laughs as Marley holds on to her with a death grip. "Marls, you want to meet a friend of mine, she likes to draw as you do."

"Really? Can she draw birds because Mommy tries but she's not good." 

"We can ask her." 

Charlotte watches Mal with her niece and smiles as they talk before making their way over to her. 

"Marley, this is my friend Charlie." 

"Our names sound the same." 

Charlotte smiles, "They do, don't they? So, I heard that you like to read stories and draw; do you think that you could show me one of your drawings?" 

Marley nods and runs back towards the bedroom, before returning with Mal's sister, Brianna and a drawing in her hand. 

Marley pushes the drawing into Charlotte's hand, "Look." 

"Oh, wow, is that a giraffe?" 

Marley smiles and nods quickly, "This is the best giraffe drawing, ever! Do you think that I could have it? I really like giraffes and elephants." 

Brianna watches her daughter interact with Charlotte and leans into Mal, "I've been trying to figure out for a half-hour what she was drawing; she got mad at me when I called it a dinosaur." 

Mal laughs, "Where's Jace?" 

"In the garage attempting to assemble some of the presents that Mom and Dad got for Marls. Charlie is really good with kids." 

"She is really good with everyone. A few days ago there was a knock on the apartment door and when I went to answer it, there was two women and they handed me a container of fresh-baked cookies and asked that I give them to her. Apparently, the Mom got off the elevator on the wrong floor one day and grew quite upset when she couldn't get her key to work in the door. C.J. happened upon her and spoke with her, determined what was going on and then helped her to the right apartment." 

Marley comes running towards them holding Charlotte's hand, "Mommy, me and Charlie are going to draw now." 

Charlotte smiles and kisses Mal on the cheek before following the young girl into the bedroom. 

Brianna watching the way her sister lit up when her girlfriend kissed her cheek, smiles. "You've got it bad for her don't ya, Sis?" 

Mal smiles and nods, "Yeah, but, I sometimes can't help but wonder if I'm holding her back from meeting her full potential." 

"What do you mean, holding her back?" 

"She's brilliant Bri and I'm just me."

"Perhaps, it's the fact that you are just you, that she's attracted too. There are plenty of people out there who would only be interested in being with someone because of their status or potential and Charlie doesn't strike me as that type of person; so I choose to believe that she loves your faults and all little Sis. Now, how about we rescue your girl and get something to eat because I don't know about you but I could use a top-up." 

"Yes, food, I'm sure that C.J. is starving but too polite to interrupt her art session with Marls." 

After Mal and Brianna retrieve the two budding artists from the bedroom, and Jace from the garage they all sit down and after saying Grace have brunch together. 

"So, Charlie, Mal mentioned that you were heading to the U20 Camp in a few weeks." 

"Yeah, I got the call before we left. I'm excited to get back on the pitch and repping the Red, White and Blue." 

"You sound like, Mal." 

Charlotte reaches beside her to take Mal's hand, "Only difference is that Mal is always wearing Red, White and Blue either with the National team or the Spirit whereas all I do is I rock Cardinal Red." 

Mal looks at her girlfriend, "You keep playing like you did this season and you aren't going to give the Senior team an option but to call you up and I can't wait to be there when that happens. Also, we all know that you won the NCAA Championship this year, Babe and that my team was .... less than Championship calibre." 

Charlotte laughs, "Less than championship calibre? That's one way of putting it!" 

"Keep knocking my team and girls and you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight." Charlotte looks at Mal who says it in a deadpan manner, before breaking character and laughing, "I'm only kidding, you can sleep on the floor because I'm sure that Jace has already reserved the couch." 

Jace laughs and Brianna responds, "Keep laughing and it'll happen, for real." 

"Charlie can stay with me, she's my friend." They all look at Marley as she says it. "Great, now I'm going to have to fight Marls for you." 

"I have faith that you can take her, Mally." Charlotte leans over and kisses her cheek. 

"Mommy, why Charlie kiss Auntie Mal's cheek?"

"Umm, because Charlie loves Auntie Mal." 

Marley seems to accept the answer without any further questions and returns to eating as do the rest of them. 

After they all help tidy up the dishes and Charlotte gets kicked out of the kitchen for trying to help wash the dishes, they sit around the living room and do some catching up with each other. 

As Charlotte holds Mal in her arms on the floor against the couch, she happens to look up and sees her books still proudly on display covers foreword on the shelf. 

"Have you read them?"

"Huh?" Charlotte looks at Brianna. "The Known Universe series." 

"Yes, I've read them." 

"It was actually Charlie who first suggested to Mal that she read them and then Mal mentioned them to me," Karen responds in an attempt to deflect Brianna's attention.

"What did you think about them, Charlie?"

"I enjoyed them, how about you, Brianna?" 

"They were alright, I guess."

"Only, alright? What didn't you like about them?" 

"Just that once again, the female character dies and the male becomes the hero." 

"I would suggest that perhaps you re-read them if that's your takeaway from them. The turning point of the series is when Sarah gives her life up for the cause, if she hadn't then Nathaniel or the others wouldn't have been motivated to continue the fight; she is the true hero of the story."

As Charlotte says it, she has a lightbulb moment and the final pieces of Revelation begin to unveil themselves in her brain. 

"I guess I hadn't really thought about it like that, Charlie, but I get it now the hero isn't necessarily the one who comes out the other side, but the one who made the biggest impact. I actually cried when Sarah died as I'm sure many others have as well." 

Charlotte nods along to Brianna's talking, "Umm, Mal, can you let me up, please, I need to go to the washroom." 

Mal looks at her and nods before standing up, allowing Charlotte to stand up as well before she heads down the hall towards the bedroom and pulls her notebook out of her bag. 

Sitting on the bed, she quickly scribbles down some of the ideas bouncing around in her head before rejoining everyone in the living room. 

Mal leans over and whispers in her ear, "You okay?" 

"Yeah, just had a bit of a brainwave moment that I needed to capture before I forgot it." 

Mal kisses her cheek, "Do you feel up to going to the mall so that Marley can see Santa?" 

"Standing in line behind a bunch of grumpy parents and screaming kids, I think not!" 

"Marley asked if you were coming with us." 

"That's not playing fair, using the kid as a pawn to get me to bend." 

"So, is that a yes?" 

"You know that I can't say no to you, or apparently Marley now. Is everyone going?" 

Mal nods, "It's kind of a family tradition since Marls was born." 

"Okay, guess I need to put on warmer clothing then, huh?" 

"We both do." 

They head into the bedroom and dig through their bags and suitcases pulling out and putting on more suitable clothing for the colder Colorado weather. 

After waiting in line for almost an hour they finally see the man in the red suit and Charlotte watches as Brianna leads Marley up to him and she can't help but squeeze Mal's hand in anticipation of the day when it's a child of their own meeting the big man. 

Once the pictures are taken with Marley, Charlotte goes to move away to allow the next family to go forward and Mal pulls her back, "I already paid for us to get our picture taken with Santa as well." 

"Seriously?" 

Mal smiles and nods, "Yep." 

They both smile as their picture is taken and then they are each handed a candy cane by Santa before making their way off the platform. 

They all sit down and grab some hot chocolate, "So, Marley, what did you ask Santa for?" 

"A little brother." 

They all burst out laughing and look at Jace and Brianna. 

"Umm, Marls, what did Santa say about that?" 

"He asked me if I would like a puppy or a kitten instead. Can we get a kitten, Mommy?" 

"How about we look into getting a kitten when we are back home because it wouldn't be fair to make a little kitten travel on a big airplane." 

"Okay, Mommy. Can, we go home now? I want to finish my drawing with Charlie."

"You'll have to ask Charlie if she wants to draw, because she may want to spend some time with Auntie Mal." 

"Nope! Charlie is my friend now, not Auntie Mal's!" 

"Marley, you know that's not how it works. I think that you are tired and it would be a good idea for you to have a nap when we get back to Grandma and Grandpa's house." 

They finish their drinks and snacks before making the drive back to Horace and Karen's house. Mal and Charlotte sit and look at the Christmas tree while carols softly playing in the background. Charlotte leans over and shares a kiss with Mal, "Would it be okay with you if I did some work while Marley is napping?" 

"How about we just tell everyone that we are gonna lay down for a bit and I'll watch you work." 

"I don't really work well with an audience, Baby."

"Jace is still building the dollhouse for Marls, maybe Bri will want to do something for a bit."

"Doesn't hurt to ask and it's not as if Marley will be alone." 

Mal kisses her before standing up and seeking out her sister, returning a few minutes later. "Brianna and I are going to do some sister bonding stuff." 

"In other words, it's mani/pedi time." 

Mal laughs, "Something like that." They share another kiss and hug and once Brianna appears they head out together. 

Charlotte sits on the bed with her laptop typing away until she decides to take a break and grab a drink. Walking out to the kitchen she finds Horace and Karen prepping for supper, "Is there anything that I can do to help? I'm pretty good at chopping veggies." 

"Sure, grab a knife and board, you can look after the carrots." 

As Charlotte peels and then chops the carrots, something inside her makes her stop what she's doing. 

"Horace, Karen, can we talk for a few minutes?" 

"Of course, Charlie, what's on your mind?" 

"Can we sit down?" 

"You're looking a little green there kid, are you sure you're feeling okay?" 

Charlotte nods, "Can we sit, please?" 

The three of them wipe their hands off before taking seats on the couch. 

"Umm, I tried to plan ahead as to what I was going to say and how I was going to say it, but I'm at a complete blank now."

Charlotte takes a couple of deep breaths and attempts to refocus herself as Horace thankfully passes her a glass of water, which she takes a mouthful of before setting the glass down. 

"I love Mal and I want to ask her to marry me, but I can't in good conscious do that without first obtaining your blessing; so I'm wondering if I have your permission to propose to the love of my life?" 

"Charlie, we already consider you to be a part of our family, and it's apparent to everyone around the two of you how much you care about and love each other. We know that you will look after her and you have our permission to ask her to marry you." 

"Really?" 

Horace and Karen laugh, "Yes, really!" 

"Wow, that was much easier than I thought. How can I ever thank you?" 

"You can thank us by looking after our girl and getting back to work chopping those carrots because they won't do it themselves." 

"Yes, Sir, of course, Sir." 

"Charlie?" 

"Yes, Sir?" 

"Stop calling me Sir!" 

"Yes, Horace." 

A few hours later and Charlotte is back working on Revelation as Mal joins her on the bed, "How's it going?" 

"Really well, I've managed to complete a couple of chapters today." Mal lifts up her hand and sees a band-aid on her finger, "What did you do?" 

"Misjudged my finger for a carrot. Don't worry, Marley kissed my booboo better." 

Mal lifts her hand up and kisses the band-aid, "I can't let Marls have all the fun." 

They share a kiss as Charlotte saves her work and then shuts down her laptop. 

Charlotte looks at Mal's nails, "That's an interesting choice." 

"Bri thought it would be cute if we got candy cane nails. I just went along with it because they match one of your Christmas presents." 

"You got me a candy cane?" 

"Nah, Babe this present isn't suitable for putting under the tree." 

Charlotte's eyes go big and she smiles in anticipation of what Mal could be referring to, "Merry Christmas to me!" 


	54. Chapter 54

A few days later and it's finally Christmas. Charlotte lays in bed watching her girlfriend sleep assuming it won't be for much longer after hearing Marley and Brianna in the hallway outside their door.

There is a gentle knock on the door and then it opens with a small body running over to the bed and climbing on top of them, shaking them. 

"Easy, Marls." 

"Auntie Mal, Charlie wake up! We got presents to open! It's Christmas!." 

Charlotte laughs as Marley continues to shake Mal until her girlfriend finally starts laughing. 

"We're awake Marls, did Santa bring lots of presents?" 

"Yep, now get up 'cause Mommy said we couldn't open them until you were up." 

Mal sits up and reaches her arms out for her niece, wrapping them around her and kissing her head, "Merry Christmas, Marls. Can you give us a few minutes and we'll be out to help open presents?" 

"Okay! Hurry up!" Marley runs out of the room.

Charlotte sits up and wraps her arms around Mal, before kissing her, "Morning beautiful, Merry Christmas." 

"Merry Christmas, you think Santa brought us any presents?" 

"Probably nothing for you, Mally, except coal, but, for me everything because I've been on my bestest behaviour all year." 

Mal laughs, "Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that." Mal kisses her again, "I love you." 

"I love you, too. We should probably get a move on before Marley comes back." 

Mal nods and stands up, stretching before then heading towards the bathroom. Charlotte reaches over for her phone and double-checking the time, knows that it's safe to call her Mom. 

Ring, ring

"Merry Christmas!" 

"Morning Mom, Merry Christmas. How are you?" 

"I'm good, was just sitting down for my second cup and waiting for your sister to decide to get out of bed and join me for breakfast." 

"Just throw a cup of water on her, trust me it'll get her up." She hears her Mom laugh. "How about I leave that to you when you and Mal are here." 

"Deal." 

The door opens and Charlotte expects it to be Mal but instead is met by Marley watching her, "Auntie Mal told me you were on the phone with your Mommy so I should be quiet." 

Charlotte smiles and calls Marley over, "Would you like to say Hello?" 

Marley nods and takes the phone, "Hello, Charlie's Mom, it's Christmas, did Santa come to you? I got lots of presents to open." 

Charlotte puts the speakerphone on so they can hear Carol's response. "Hi Marley, Merry Christmas. Charlie has told me all about you, like how you are a really good drawer."

"Yep, we drew animals together and read books together; Charlie does the voices and noises when she reads with me, it's funny." 

Carol laughs, "Did Charlie tell you that she really likes reading books, too?" 

"Yep, Auntie Mal said she has a lot of books!" 

"She does. I won't keep you though because I know it's time for presents to be opened. Bye Marley." 

"Bye, Charlie's Mommy." 

Charlotte smiles, "I'll call you later, okay, Mom?" 

"That's fine, enjoy your Christmas and please say Hello to Mal, Horace and Karen for me." 

"I will, love you, Mom." 

"Love you." 

Charlotte takes her phone and follows Marley out to the living room to see the tree lit up surrounded by presents, most of which are for Marley along with a rather large dollhouse set off to the side. 

The next while is spent mostly watching and laughing as Marley is sat down and surrounded by a mountain of presents to unwrap. 

Brianna takes pictures of the chaos as the others down their coffee and tea. Charlotte grabs her phone when she notices that Marley has reached a present that she bought for her and waits to see the reaction to it. 

"Mommy, look it's all kinds of art stuff and a case to put it in." 

"Who is it from Marls?"

Marley shows her the tag, "That's from Auntie Mal and Charlie; you better say thank you." 

Marley comes flying over and wraps her arms around Charlotte, "Thank you, Charlie." 

"You're very welcome." Marley kisses her cheek causing her to laugh before she moves over to Mal and does the same. 

They allow Marley to finish up her stash as well as opening some presents from each other. Charlotte smiles when she opens a box and finds a couple of books from Mal. "I checked with your Mom and she said she didn't see them on the bookcases at home." 

"They're perfect, Mally, thank you. Although you do realize they are apart of a series right?" 

"Oh, no, how many are in the series?" 

"Only 5 so far." 

"So far." 

She opens more presents and finds some clothes from Horace and Karen that Mal no doubt helped to pick out for her along with a card. 

They all watch as she opens the card and finds a paper inside. As she reads what it says her eyes go big, "You bought me an Astronaut Training Experience?" 

Mal takes her hand, "You mentioned it to me before, that it's something that you would have liked to try when you were in Florida, but didn't get the chance too, so we all pitched in and got it for you." 

"This is awesome; I really want to go to Florida now, rather than home to Massena." 

"It's good for 6 months and I figured that maybe we could arrange to go when the Spirit plays the Pride and make it a mini-vacay." 

"That could work, thank you for this; it's amazing!"

"You're welcome, Charlie." 

As the cleanup begins and Karen turns her attention to making breakfast for everyone, Mal takes Charlotte's hand, and leans in to whisper in her ear, "There's another present waiting for you to open on the bed."

Charlotte takes a minute to register and then darts off towards the bedroom, seeing the box on the bed, she quickly undoes the ribbon and releases the top of the box. Lifting it up and off, she pushes aside the tissue paper inside and her jaw drops. 

"Do you like it?" 

"That depends, is this for me or you?" 

"For both of us, I hope." 

"Damn, Baby, you weren't kidding when you said it wasn't appropriate for under the tree. I'm getting wet just looking at it." 

"Play your cards right and you'll get to see it this evening." 

"Yes, Captain Mally." 

Mal laughs, "We should probably make it disappear now incase Marls thinks it something else for her." 

"Good idea." Once Mal tucks it away in her bag, Charlotte pulls her in for a kiss, "I love you." 

"Love you. So where are my presents?" 

"In my suitcase. I figured that they might bring about questions if you opened them in front of your sister and brother in law." 

"How so, don't tell me you made a trip to a certain lingerie store as well?" 

Charlotte laughs, "No, definitely not, but what I purchased are on the more expensive end and I don't want to explain how I could afford them." 

"Understandable, but now, I'm even more curious." 

"How about tonight, you wear that little red and white outfit for me and I'll give you your presents." 

Mal kisses her, "Deal, now we best get back out there before they send a search party to find us." 

"Not just yet." Charlotte and Mal share another few kisses before heading back out for breakfast. 

After helping with the cleanup, and responding to all the messages they've received, Mal and Charlotte sit on the couch together and watch Marley play with her new dollhouse and accessories. 

"Auntie Mal, you want to play? You can be the Mommy and Charlie can be the Daddy." 

Charlotte leans into Mal's ear, "See even Marls knows who's your Daddy."

"C.J.!" Mal smacks her arm and they bust out laughing. 

"What it's true!" 

Mal laughs and makes her way over to where Marley is and begins playing with her. Charlotte watches them interact for a few minutes and can't contain the smile from spreading across her face. 

Brianna sits down beside her, "Do you want kids, Charlie?" 

Charlotte nods her head and smiles, "Definitely, but not for a few years, yet." 

"So when are you proposing?" 

Charlotte looks at Brianna, "How?" 

"It's written all over your face not to mention Mom let it slip that you asked for their permission, so what's the deal?" 

"I'm not sure, Bri, I haven't even picked out a ring, yet; I figure that once that is taken care of the rest will fall into place." 

"She'll say yes if that's what concerns you; I've never seen her as happy as she is with you." 

Charlotte smiles, "Thanks, Bri. It goes both ways, you know; I love her." 

Marley comes running over and grabs Charlotte's hand, "C'mon, Charlie we need you!" 

"Apparently my services are no longer needed here, I'm going to check in with Jace and my Dad and see what kind of trouble they are getting into." 

Charlotte laughs and allows herself to be pulled over to where Mal is waiting for her complete with a doll in hand.

After playing a family for a little while with Marley, they sit down and watch a movie until supper is ready. 

After eating and helping with the cleanup, Charlotte and Mal sit with Marley and read with her until it's time for her to head to bed. 

"Night, Charlie." Charlotte wraps her arms around her, "Night, Marls, sweet dreams." 

"Night, Auntie Mal, love you." "Love you, too, sleep tight, kiddo." 

Charlotte takes Mal in her arms as they sit on the couch watching the fireplace channel. 

"This has been the best Christmas ever, Mal, I'm so glad that we got to spend it together. Love you, Baby." 

"Love you, too, but there's still another present that you need to unwrap." 

"I'm suddenly feeling very tired, how about you?" Mal laughs, "Exhausted, we should definitely turn in for the night." 

They say their goodnights to everyone before heading to Mal's childhood bedroom, shutting and locking the door. 

Mal smiles at Charlotte, "Me first??" Charlotte laughs, "You first." 

Charlotte makes her way over to her suitcase and unzips the pocket to reveal Mal's presents. She brings them over to her and kisses her as she hands them off to her, "I hope you like them if not, Kenz said she will gladly take them." 

Mal chuckles, "I'm sure, I'll like them because I know how particular you are about stuff; you probably spent forever picking them out." 

"I did. I may have also gotten a parking ticket, for surpassing the two-hour time limit while picking out one of them and may have also had a Kardashian help me choose." 

"Which one?" 

"The one with the big butt." 

"Don't they all have big butts?" 

"I don't know, you're the one who watches reality TV not me! Now open them." 

"I hope you like them, I chose them because, well, I found the other ones boring and one dimensional." 

"They're gorgeous, C.J. I can't wait to wear them. Thank you." 

Mal picks up the next present and rips away the outside paper, "Is this what I think it is?" 

"That depends, what do you think it is?" 

"Well, considering it's in a Gucci box, I'm going out on a limb and saying it's a Gucci bag or purse." 

"Maybe I just bought the box and shoved something else in it." 

Mal looks at her, "Did you?" 

Charlotte laughs, "I actually thought about that but then I figured you would send me out to sleep on the couch if I did, so instead I bought a second box put some socks in it and mailed it on to Kenz." 

Mal bursts out laughing, "You didn't!" 

"I did, she was complaining that she couldn't find socks, so I figured why not." 

"She's gonna kill you when she opens it." 

"Nah, I'll have you there to protect me. Anyways, open the box already." 

"Damn, Babe, I really feeling like I under-shopped for you now." 

"Don't, what you got me is all from your heart and that means more to me than any label does."

They hug and share a few kisses, before Mal stands up, "You ready for your Christmas present?" 

"So ready!" 

"How about you put on some music while I get changed; I have a feeling that things are going to get a bit loud soon and I don't need my parents or sister hearing us." 

"We could always wait." 

Mal looks at her as she collects the box, "Do you you want to wait?" 

Charlotte shakes her head. "Didn't think so." 

Mal heads into the bathroom to get changed while Charlotte scrolls through her playlist for some suitable music.

While she waits for Mal to return, Charlotte decides to go ahead and make herself more comfortable, removing her top layer of clothing and sitting in just her bra, underwear and socks because her feet are cold. 

Mal walks out of the bathroom and Charlotte's jaw drops, "OH MY GOD!"

"You like?" 

"I love." Charlotte stands up to take a hold of her girlfriend but Mal pushes her back down on the bed. "Sit, I figured to do a little dance for you, if that's all right with you?" 

"Go right ahead." 

For the next few minutes, it seems as if time stands still while Charlotte watches Mal move around in front of her, before sitting in her lap and rubbing against her. She takes advantage of it and unhooks the clasp, allowing Mal's breasts to be free as she continues to grind against Charlotte and make both of them wetter with each pass. 

Mal turns to face her and they share a hard, passionate kiss before getting to work on removing the remainder of the clothes both are wearing and moving further up on the bed. 

Charlotte kisses down Mal's chest and tastes the candy cane flavour oil she drizzled there and lets out a loud moan, one of many they both let out on their way to a very, merry Christmas. 


	55. Chapter 55

Charlotte and Mal hold hands as the plane makes its final descent into Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

Once they have cleared customs and located their luggage they make their way through the crowd to the taxi stand, waiting for their turn and passing off their bags to the driver before climbing into the backseat of the car.

"Where to, ladies?"

"The Marriott, please."

The driver makes his way out of the airport and heads in the direction of the hotel. Charlotte and Mal look out the windows and are amazed at the amount of snow that lines the streets and sidewalks.

"I'm glad that we decided to grab a room for tonight and then drive in the daylight, the roads look kinda rough right now."

"Yeah, Mom offered to come and get us but I figured we could make the drive and also make a few stops along the way."

The car comes to a stop outside of their hotel and after paying the driver, they collect their luggage and make their way inside the rather imposing structure.

Mal looks around, "Let me guess you picked this hotel because of some historical significance?"

"Yes and no. It was built in the 1920s and has been through several ownership changes as well as undergone major remodelling and updating. The current ownership group dropped a ton of cash into renovations a few years ago while doing their best to highlight and maintain the historical aspects of it, including the large common spaces and ballroom. I really just thought that it would be someplace cool to stay and explore, kinda like a trip back in time."

Mal smiles, "Okay, Wikipedia, how about after we get checked in and put our bags in the room then you can let your big brain get a workout in while we wander around for a bit and take in the history."

Charlotte leans over and kisses her cheek, "Thank you for understanding me and don't worry they have room service."

Mal laughs, "Well, in that case, thank you for understanding me and my need to eat at somewhat regular intervals."

After checking in and getting their room key, they make their way up to their assigned room and check it out along with setting their bags down. They lay on the bed for a short time chilling and enjoying the quiet, before deciding to take a walk around the hotel. They stop to take some pics together and separately before deciding it's time to head back to their room and order in supper. 

Sitting on the bed eating, Charlotte looks over at Mal, "As much as I enjoy eating in bed with you, I really can't wait until we can sit in a restaurant like adults and maybe even order a bottle of wine to drink with our meal."

"You don't even like the taste of wine, Babe."

"True, but don't you think it would be nice to get dressed up for supper rather than down?"

Mal smiles, "Make you a deal, very soon, you and I are going to get dressed to the nines and go out to a fancy restaurant for supper. It'll give me a chance to wear my new earrings and show off my new purse as well."

"Sounds like a plan. I love seeing you all dressed up."

After finishing off their meal, they get changed into some comfier clothes and then lay down on the bed together, curling up and watching the Flyers defeat the Islanders by a final score of 3 - 1.

Turning the television off they settle in for the night and quickly fall asleep in each other's arms.  
  
  


The next morning after checking out of the hotel and securing a rental car, they head towards Charlotte's childhood home.

As Charlotte pulls the car out front of the house they take in the surroundings.

"Hey Mal, do you want to build a snowman?"

Mal looks at her, "Please no! Don't do it!"

Charlotte laughs and starts singing, "Do you want to build a snowman?

Come on, let's go and play  
I never see you anymore  
Come out the door  
It's like you've gone away  
We used to be best buddies  
And now we're not  
I wish you would tell me why ...."

As she sings Mal gets out of the car, shutting the door very loudly and causing Charlotte to burst out laughing as she does so.

Charlotte continues to laugh as she makes her way out of the car and around to the trunk to collect their luggage. As she leans over she feels a snowball make contact with her back and quickly turns around ready to return fire at Mal, but is surprised instead by the sight of Finn standing there.

"Was that you, Finnegan?"

Finn smiles and laughs, "Yep, welcome home, Charlie."

Charlotte and he share a hug before she steps back and collects a handful of snow. Finn seeing this takes off running and ends up hiding behind Mal, who is busy filming the goings-on.

"Really? Hiding behind a girl? That's pretty low even for you."

Finn yells, "You're just jealous because I thought of it first."

"Mal? Duck!" Charlotte launches the snowball at her best friend, missing him by quite a bit.

"You throw like a girl, Gordon!"

"That's it, you're dead!"

Mal puts her phone away and soon joins in on the snowball fight, which comes to a rapid conclusion when they realize that none of them are wearing gloves or mitts and their hands are now frozen.

Finn helps Charlotte and Mal carry their stuff in the house and put it in the bedroom before they all take a seat in the living room.

They start catching up when the front door opens and Carol walks in carrying some bags. She smiles when she sees the three bodies in the house chatting.

Charlotte stands up and walks over to her Mom hugging her, "Nice to have you home."

"Happy to be home, even if it's only for a little bit. Do you need any help putting stuff away?"

Carol shakes her head, "There isn't much, you go ahead and catch up with Matthew."

Charlotte nods and returns to her place on the couch beside Mal.

Soon Carol finishes putting everything away and decides to join them, they continue chatting and catching up until Finn has to head back home to help his Mom with something.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay? Enjoy opening your presents."

Charlotte stands up, "Wait, Finn, your present is in my bag."

"You didn't need to get me anything, Charlie."

Charlotte disappears into her bedroom returning with an envelope and handing it to Finn.

"You wore Stanford colours, I figure this is the least I can do for you. You can open it, you know."

Finn opens the envelope and smiles, "You got me tickets to the 'Canes and Rangers game, this is awesome, thanks, Charlie."

"You're welcome, now you can drool over your man crush in person."

Finn shakes his head, "Okay, even you have to admit that Lundqvist is awesome!"

Charlotte nods and then hugs her friend, "See you tomorrow, Finn. Please say Hello to your parents for me."

"I will." Finn heads out the door and then waves at the through the window.   
  
  


"So, what do the two of you have planned while you're here?"

"Not much, yet anyways. When are Grams and Papa going to be here?"

"Tomorrow, some time."

"Should we wait to open our presents until tomorrow, then?"

"No, they said to go ahead without them."

"Okay, so, then where the heck is Kenz? And when can we get this show on the road? I want presents!"

"Your sister was supposed to have been home already, but I have a feeling that she and her friends may have celebrated a little too much last night based on the message she sent me."

"At least she was smart enough not to drive then."

Carol nods, "Why don't you and Mal go and relax until she gets home while I get started on supper."

"Do you want some help? I've gotten pretty good with a knife and following recipes."

Mal smiles and nods, "It's true, C.J. has become a really good cook. Not much of a baker, though."

Charlotte shrugs, "Can't be good at everything."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm only getting the roast ready for the oven, so it won't take long."

"Okay, call me if you need any help."

Charlotte takes Mal's hand and leads her down the hall, before stopping to look at the office door.

Mal smiles, "Go ahead, you know you want to. I'll get your laptop for you."

Mal heads into the bedroom and returns with Charlotte's computer and accessories. Charlotte leans over and kisses her, "Thank you."

They head inside the office and tidy up a bit before Charlotte gets herself set up behind her father's old desk.

"You look good behind that."

"I feel good sitting in this chair and behind this desk; it feels like home."

Mal walks around the desk and hugs her before sitting on her lap and kissing her. Things begin to get a bit heated between the two but they are brought back to reality very quickly when they hear a voice yell out from the door, "Next time consider closing the door, ain't no one wanting to see that!"

Mal and Charlotte laugh, "About time you got home, Kenz. How's the head?"

"Tolerable. Let me grab a shower and change and then we can get to destroying the living room." 

"Make it quick or else I won't think twice about flushing the toilet on you."

"Good to have you home, brat. I missed you."

"Missed you, too, Kenz."

Charlotte looks at Mal and leans in, "Now, where were we?"

They share a few more kisses before Mal stands up, "I'm going to call home and check-in."

Charlotte nods, "I'll be here, attempting to get my thoughts in order."

"I thought that you were pretty much done, Revelation?"

"I thought so as well, but I'm not happy with the progression of a couple of the storylines, so I may need to go back and rewrite them to accommodate the ending I want and the characters deserve."

"I would really prefer not to have to drag you back to bed during the night, while we're here, so maybe try and keep the overthinking to a minimum, okay?" 

"Sorry, Babe, it's all part of the creative process; when inspiration hits, you roll with it for as long as possible."

"I get it, come and get me when it's time."

Mal leaves Charlotte alone in the office as she makes her way across the hallway and into Charlotte's room to call her Mom and let her know they arrived safely.

While she waits for her sister to get degrubified, she begins flipping through some of the folders in the drawer and revisiting the starting point of The Known. She looks down at the scratchpad on the desk with her father's handwriting still present and can't help but smile when she thinks about how far she has come and how well received the books have been.

Mackenzie walks into the room, struggling to get her hair to co-operate long enough to put it up in a ponytail. She watches her younger sister and then walks over to hug and hold her.

"Where's your girl?"

"She was calling home to check-in. She's in my room."

"Did you, you know, get a chance to ask her parents?"

Charlotte smiles and nods, "I was absolutely terrified they would say no, but they didn't."

"Not a chance of that, anyone who sees the two of you together can tell how much you care about each other and no I'm not just talking about when you have each other's tongues down your throats."

"Kenz!"

"What? It's true. Now, you better have gotten me something good for Christmas."

"Don't worry, I'll get you good, oh, I mean get you something good."

They head out of the office and over to Charlotte's room, saying Hello to Mal's Mom before making their way out to the living room and divvying up the presents.

As they open the presents, Mackenzie finds the present that her sister sent ahead for her and expecting it to be something good and expensive gets excited. She rips the outside layer of paper off and sees the Gucci box and her eyes go big, "Oh my God, you didn't!"

She opens the box and lifts the tissue, revealing her brand new socks shortly before throwing them at her sister.

"I can't believe you did that to me, that's so not fair; I really wanted a Gucci bag."

"Kenz, did you even bother to read the card that came with them?"

Mackenzie digs through the tissue and finds the card, opening it, she smiles and nods at her sister, "Deal."

Mal leans over, "Something I should know?"

"Nope, it's between Kenz and me."

Carol unwraps her presents and finds some new clothes including an expensive jacket. "I hope it's the right size, if not I'm sure I can get you another one."

"It's beautiful, Charlie, but it must have cost a lot."

"What good is having money if I can't use it to spoil those whom I love."

"Speaking of money, you need to speak with Finn's Dad about your investment portfolio before you head back to school."

"Yeah, I'm going with Finn to his Dad's office tomorrow to look over things and conference call the advisor."

"Won't that give your voice away and let them know that J.C. Glass is female?"

"Don't worry, Finn has already figured out a voice distortion thingamajig."

"Of course he has. You know I always thought that you and he would end up together, but, I'm really happy that you and Mal found each other because I couldn't imagine a better match for you."

Charlotte pulls Mal into her side and kisses her cheek, "Yeah, Mally, is pretty special, and I can't wait for us to spend the rest of our lives together."  
  
  


After having their fill of Christmas music and conversation, they finish tidying up the area before helping Carol finish up supper and setting the table.

Once supper is finished and dishes are done they all head in separate directions, which means that while Charlotte sits behind her big desk and tries to figure out her storylines, Mal lays on the couch in the office catching up on some reading and her social media accounts.

After a few hours, Charlotte looks over and smiles at the fact that her girlfriend has fallen asleep with a book on her chest. Saving her work, she shuts down for the night and after waking Mal they head into the bedroom, get changed and then after sharing a few kisses get comfy for the night as a movie plays on the screen in front of them.


	56. Chapter 56

"3, 2, 1, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!"

Mal and Charlotte smile at each other before sharing the obligatory New Year's kiss and then hugging each other.

"Happy New Year, Mally, I love you."

"Happy New Year, C.J., I love you, too."

They share another kiss before being interrupted by Mackenzie with Finn close behind.

"Happy New Year, bitches!! Cheers!" Charlotte looks at her sister and then Finn, "I thought you were going to watch how much champagne she drank."

"I thought that she was drinking Ginger Ale, but apparently not. That's what you get for putting someone who's not old enough to drink in charge of someone who is. You should have maybe asked your Grams or Papa to watch her."

Charlotte looks over Finn's shoulder at her Papa currently out cold in the chair and shakes her head, "I don't think that would have worked either. My Grandparents aren't exactly the stay up late and party type."

Finn shrugs, "Anyways, it's after Midnight, so Happy New Year and I'll see you guys later, now, I'm going home to bed."

Charlotte and Mal hug Finn and Mal kisses him on the cheek, causing him to blush and smile before he makes his way over to his parents and then heads home.

Charlotte pulls Mal into her arms and sighs, "This is nice." She takes an exaggerated deep breath "You smell so good." 

Mal smiles, "Same as I always do, Babe." 

Mackenzie comes back over, "Mom told me to come and get you."

"Why? Does she need something?"

"I think it's just to say bye to some people before they leave. I'm supposed to wake Papa up and send him to bed."

Mal grabs her arm, "How about I help you with that, while C.J. goes and sees your Mom and then perhaps I will help you to your own room and bed, okay, Kenz?"

"I'm not ready to go to sleep, yet, Mal."

"Well, you are definitely done drinking for the night, Kenz."

"Mally, I love you."

Mal laughs, "Love you, too, Kenz. Now, let's go."

Charlotte watches Mal as she leads her sister over to their Papa and after successfully waking him based on the lack of snoring emitting from him, she pushes Mackenzie down the hallway in the direction of her own bedroom.

Mal walks back over to Charlotte laughing and shaking her head. "What's so funny, Babe?"

"Your sister has some very colourful language when she's drunk. She told your Papa to get his frumpy old ass up and to bed."

Charlotte laughs, "Let me guess Papa just laughed at her."

"Yep, he said it was better to be old and frumpy then dead."

"He's not wrong there." 

Mal shakes her head, "Nope. So, are you ready for bed, now?"

Charlotte looks at her and smiles, "You mean am I ready to start the new year off by making love to my gorgeous girlfriend?"

"One of these days you'll have to introduce me to this gorgeous girlfriend that you are always talking about."

Charlotte takes her hand and leads her over to a mirror on the wall, "Gorgeous, meet gorgeous. Now, I'll race you to the bedroom." Charlotte lets go of her and takes off around the corner and into her room with Mal close behind.

They share a long kiss before both take a few minutes to complete their nighttime routine. 

As Mal pretends to grab some clothes to sleep in, Charlotte comes up behind her and takes the shirt from her and sets it back down before moving Mal's hair to the side and placing kisses down her neck, shoulder and back. She grabs Mal's hips and gently guides her to turn around and face her. 

They smile before leaning in and joining their lips and mouths in a fiery kiss and moving over to the bed. 

Mal lets out a low moan as Charlotte's leg makes contact with her core, causing Charlotte to let out a giggle, "Sounds like someone is a little anxious to get started." 

"Considering someone has spent the last few days teasing me at every opportunity." 

Charlotte leans down and kisses her, "New year and no longer that time of the month means it's finally playtime." 

Mal looks up at her, "Then, let's play."

They share a few more long and needy kisses as well as plenty of heavy petting and touching before both need more and the clothes quickly hit the floor.

As Charlotte makes Mal's body her own playground, her girlfriend watches every kiss, lick, touch and suck as she slowly makes her way down to her throbbing, wet core. She gets comfortable and inhales the smell before swiping her flat tongue through the wetness and taking in her favourite taste in the world, savouring it before going back for more. She allows her tongue to work over Mal's sensitive nerve bundle as she slides two fingers inside and rubs the slick insides of the woman under her before guiding her to reach her peak. 

Mal reaches over and covers her face with a pillow as she fights the need to let out noise as her body ripples through the effects of the orgasm and then knowing that her girlfriend is never content with just making her come once, she prepares herself for the second rush.

As Charlotte moves upward Mal pulls her down and devours the taste of herself on the woman that she loves lips and tongue. They take a moment to look at each other and have no need to say the words, feeling them throughout as they continue to enjoy everything about each other for the next while. 

Charlotte closes her eyes and soon falls asleep with a smile on her face, waking up a few hours later to an empty bed. "Mal?" With no answer, she gets up and puts on some shorts and a shirt she picked up off the floor and makes her way out to the kitchen area, finding Mal standing there with a water bottle in her hand. 

"I didn't wake you, did I?" 

Charlotte shakes her head, "No, I woke up and you weren't there so I came to look for you."

"Sorry, Babe, I was thirsty and enjoying a bit of quiet time to process my thoughts." 

"Everything, okay?" 

"It would be if we weren't days away from being separated for an indeterminate amount of time."

"Wow, Mally, indeterminate, that's a big word coming out of your mouth." 

Mal gently pushes her, "Just because I may not know all kinds of fancy words like you, doesn't mean that I can't produce them every now and again when the situation warrants them." 

Charlotte wraps her arms around her and kisses her cheek, "I've been doing my best not to think about us being apart. I know that it's coming and will be difficult for both of us, but it needs to be done. Also, we don't live in the dark ages anymore and we have technology on our side."

"Your face on the screen isn't the same as your body next to me, C.J." 

"I know, but, we've made it through being separated before and we'll have to repeat it over and over again many times in our lives; I love you, Mal and will do anything and everything I can to show you that on a daily basis. Now, do you think we can head back to bed because my toes are getting cold from the tile."

Mal nods and they head back to the bedroom and climb under the covers. "We'll figure everything out, Mal, just have faith and trust that things will happen as they are meant too." 

"Wow, tired C.J. becomes deep C.J." 

"Tired C.J. wants to become sleeping C.J. so come here and let's sleep, okay?" 

Mal moves over and allows Charlotte to hold her as they close their eyes and soon fall back asleep.

They roll out of bed the next day when Grams comes knocking on the bedroom door, letting them know that it's just about lunchtime and that they are the last to get up. 

After taking turns in the bathroom and cleaning up they head out to the kitchen and straight for the coffee maker.

"About time you guys got up! I want to hit the mall up and see if there are any good sales." 

Charlotte looks at her sister, "First off how are you in such a good mood after downing a bathtub worth of champagne last night and why exactly were you waiting for us?" 

"Oh, don't worry I feel like absolute shit...." 

"Language, Mackenzie." 

"Sorry, Grams." 

"My brain feels like it's about to abandon ship, but it's time to shop! None of my friends are available and I really didn't want to go shopping with just Mom and Grams. Not to mention Mal actually has good taste in clothes and accessories unlike you little Sis."

"Then maybe Mal can go shopping with you while I hang with Papa." 

"Is that such a good idea? I mean..." 

"I know what you mean, Kenz, but we already replaced the TV after what happened last time, so there shouldn't be any other problems." 

Mal looks at both of the sisters, "Should I even ask what happened to the TV?"

Carole walks by, "They blew it up." 

"We didn't blow it up, Mom, we just fried the insides that's all. It was all Papa's idea, he was the one who wanted to see how our TV could be flat unlike theirs and we may have gotten a bit carried away playing with the wires and connections."

"Yep, like fire extinguisher carried away." 

Mal laughs and then looks at Charlotte, "Should I be concerned about what you are going to teach our kids?" 

"Not my fault that I'm naturally inquisitive." 

Mackenzie yells from across the room, "Hey Mal, has C.J. ever told you about the toaster incident?" 

"Toaster incident?" 

Charlotte hangs her head and puts her hand over her face. "I was 8 and hungry and thought that I could make grilled cheese in the toaster. Needless to say, it made a big mess and we had to replace the toaster."

"And the house smelled like burnt plastic forever!" 

"I may have also not known enough to unwrap the cheese slice first." 

Mal bursts out laughing, "Oh my God, I love you and Kenz please tell me more little C.J. stories." 

"Come shopping with me and I'll tell you about the time she tried to dig a hole in the backyard to Australia because she wanted to see Koalas." 

"Kenz, how much is it going to cost me to get you to shut up?" 

"You can't afford me."

They finish eating and after grabbing a shower together, get dressed and while Mal gets herself ready to go shopping Charlotte sits in the office dissecting her story. 

Frustrated by the lack of clarity and progress on it, she picks up the container of pens on the desk and launches them at the wall right as Mal and Mackenzie walk in the room. 

"Woah! What's going on?" 

"Just frustrated, I never really had to deal with writer's block with the previous books but this one is getting to me." 

"Baby, I think it's time for you to take a break from it, we're heading out now, so go spend some time with Papa and try not to think about Revelation in the meantime." 

"I promised Papa that I would take him out to look at new computers, don't worry Finn is coming along as well so I don't overpay for what they need." 

Mal walks over and hugs her before kissing her gently on the lips, "Be good. I love you." 

"Love you, too, Mally." 

After Mal and the rest of her family leave, Charlotte looks at the screen in front of her before ensuring it's resaved and then shutting the machine down. 

Walking out to the living room she finds her Papa sitting on the couch watching a show and joins him. 

After watching the show for a bit, Papa reaches for the remote and mutes the show. 

"So when are you planning on asking that lovely lady of yours to be your wife? I'm not getting any younger you know." 

Charlotte laughs, "Very soon, Papa, I already got permission from her parents, so now I need to find the perfect ring and spot to ask." 

"Do you think it will be happening within the next 6 months or longer?" 

Charlotte looks at her Papa and her eyes go big and she laughs, "Let me guess you and Grams are betting on me and Mal." 

Papa nods, "So if you could propose sooner rather than later that would definitely help me." 

"I'm not even going to ask what the winner gets."

The door opens and Finn lets himself in, "You guys better dress warm it's getting chilly out there. We ready to head out?" 

"Give us a few minutes to get ready Finn." 

"Not too long, I left the car running and I don't want to unnecessarily waste gas." 

"I already told you that I would buy you a tank and lunch while we are out." 

"True, I'll be out in the car." Finn turns around and heads back outside while Charlotte and her Papa get themselves suited up to take on the cold January, New York State weather.

They head out and soon are on their way to Finn's favourite electronics spot to look at a better quality and more reliable computer for her Grandparents to watch her games on. 

After looking around at the options and letting Papa give them all a test drive for ease of use, they settle on the winner and while Finn checks out the latest video game systems with her Grandfather, Charlotte ensures that everything is set up on the laptop and then makes sure to purchase an extended warranty on it as well, just in case. 

After paying for everything and walking over to where Finn and her Papa are Charlotte can only laugh as she watches Finn try and teach him how to race on a car on the screen by pushing the buttons. She stays back and takes out her phone making sure to capture the moment for the future. 

As he sends his car into the drink for the 10th time on the first lap alone, Papa calls it quits and after Finn finishes out the race they head out to get a bite to eat. 

Across town, Mackenzie isn't holding back on telling Mal all about Charlotte's younger days including the times she was teased in school for being a bookworm, not having many friends and also for crying in class when it came to having to do any form of public speaking.

Mal sits and listens while enjoying a drink in the food court with Mackenzie. "C.J. always seems so confident, I'm having a really difficult time picturing her crying in class."

"It's the truth, you can ask Finn if you don't believe me; he was the one who came and found me most times to get her to come out of the bathroom stall." 

"What changed, I mean, you know what I mean, right?" 

"I don't think it was just one thing or two; I think it was the culmination of many things. Our Dad dying had a serious impact on her, I'm not sure if she ever told you that she was in counselling for a short time afterward and then started doing group sessions for teens who lost loved ones. It was actually there when she started journaling and writing out her feelings and then that springboarded into the books and refinding her love for soccer, which led to her meeting you. I think you being in her life is what changed her the most and for the better."

"C.J. has definitely changed me and made my life better in more ways than I could ever imagine." Mal wipes at her eyes as tears threaten to fall. 

"There's no crying allowed when shopping at the discount mall, Pugh; now, man up and let's go spend some of your girl's cash!"

Mal laughs, "Let's go!"

Later in the evening they all sit down at the table and enjoy leftovers for supper, not that any of them are complaining. 

"So, Matthew, when are you headed back to school?" 

"In two days." 

"Are you enjoying your program so far?"

"Very much so, Mrs... I mean Carol. I love learning about and working on computers all day." 

"That's wonderful, Matthew, I know that your parents are very proud of you; we talk quite often about you and Charlotte." 

"I think they always wanted me to follow in my Dad's footsteps and become a lawyer, but I'm not really a suit and tie kinda guy."

"As long as you're happy that's all that matters. Please remind me before you leave to give you the gloves that your Mom left here last night." 

Finn nods and continues eating his supper. 

Once the meal is over and everything is tidied up, the kids head to the office to chat while the adults gather around the living area. 

After a while, it becomes rather sombre with the realization that for Finn and Charlotte it will most likely be the last time they see each other before both head in separate directions again. 

As the conversation topics seem to run out, Finn decides that perhaps it's a good time for him to head home. Standing up they all hug and make promises to stay in touch. 

"Knock 'em dead out there, Gordon, I'll be watching!"

"I'll do my best to make them cry for you, Finnegan. Love you."

"Love you, too." Finn smiles and gives a little wave before leaving them. 

Mackenzie excuses herself from the room, before Charlotte and Mal decide to head into her bedroom, get changed and ready for bed and then call it a somewhat early night.


	57. Chapter 57

After saying their goodbyes to Charlotte's family, making the drive back to Syracuse and then returning the rental car, Charlotte and Mal make their way into the airport with fresh cups of coffee in hand to await their flights being called. 

Once they finish checking in for their respective flights and passing over their luggage, they take seats beside each other and try and enjoy their limited time together before Mal's flight back home to Denver leaves. 

Finishing their drinks and disposing of their empty cups, they hold each other and share a few kisses as the overhead speaker announces Mal's flight number is now boarding. 

"I love you, Mally; message me when you get home, okay?" 

Mal nods her head, "I promise, love you, Baby." 

They share one final hug and kiss before Mal makes her way to the designated gate for her flight.

Charlotte then retakes her seat and plays around on her phone until she hears her flight to Philadelphia being called and makes her way to the gate to board. After a relatively short flight to Philadelphia International Airport, she finds herself having to kill a two and a half hour layover before her next flight back to California. 

Not wanting to venture too far into the large, busy airport she finds the washroom and then grabs something to eat close by. Once her sandwich is polished off she decides to take a look through the magazines and books available for purchase and smiles as she takes a selfie with The Known and Into The Unknown conveniently situated on the shelf behind her. She types out a quick message and sends the picture on to Mal before deciding to purchase a couple of mindless romance novels to entertain her thoughts while waiting and then on the flight.

New Message

Charlie: You're still on to pick me up from the airport, right?

Lan: Only if you buy me supper 😉

Charlie: I can definitely do that. I'm so bored and it's still another half hour before my flight boards, what are you up to?

Lan: Not much besides chilling and trying to get reacclimated to the weather here.

Charlie: I can't wait to get away from the cold and snow.

Lan: You planning on staying at the apartment until you leave for camp?

Charlie: Yeah, is that okay?

Lan: As long as you stay a few nights at the dorm and we hang out, then it's fine. I hate to admit it but, I kinda miss your sorry ass. 

Charlie: I kinda miss you, too. 😘

Lan: 🤦

Charlie: 🙃

Charlotte slides her phone back in her pocket and starts flipping through the pages of the first book called "The Agreement" she laughs and thinks to herself, "Let me guess they aren't supposed to fall in love but they do and then they live happily ever after. How predictable."

She attempts to focus on the book before remembering that she hasn't put her glasses on. Digging in her carry on, she pulls them out cleans the lenses and then starts reading. 

As her flight is finally called she tucks everything back in its place and then makes the trek to the designated gate to board her flight.

After the plane takes off, she decides to read for a bit longer before she grows bored with the storyline and decides instead to close her eyes and see if she can grab a nap before landing. 

She feels a hand on her arm shaking her and she opens her eyes, "We are going to be landing soon." 

"Oh, okay, thank you." Charlotte yawns as she gets back into a sitting position and gets ready to land. 

Once on the ground, she disembarks the plane and heads towards the luggage area, where she and Alana had agreed to meet. 

Watching the bags drop and go past her she doesn't notice Alana coming up behind her and jumps when her roommate yells "Boo" before laughing at her. 

"Not funny, Lan." 

"Was for me, consider it payback for all the times you've gotten me."

They share a hug and a few stories of the holiday adventures as they wait for Charlotte's luggage to drop, which it doesn't. 

"Seriously, where the heck is my stuff?" 

They wait a bit longer, even verifying that it is the right spot and then find someone who directs them to the lost and found desk. 

"Excuse me?" 

"Yes, how can I help you?" 

"My plane landed over an hour ago and there is no sign of my suitcase on the belt." 

"Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that. Can I have your name and flight information, please?" 

Charlotte gives the required information and after a few minutes of searching, the woman behind the counter returns with some news. 

"According to the computer, your bag didn't make the connection in Philadelphia. It is on its way here now but won't arrive until later this evening; is there a local address we can have it delivered to?" 

"Actually, I'm a student at Stanford, is it possible to have it delivered to my dorm room?" 

"Sure, what's the address, building and room number?" 

Charlotte provides her with the information and is given a case number and phone number to contact if there are any changes. 

As they walk out to the parking area, Charlotte swipes her credit card to pay for the parking and they head out. 

"Hungry?" 

Charlotte smiles, "I'm always hungry, Lan, you know that." 

"I do." 

They stop to grab a bite to eat before heading back to the dorm for the evening. 

"I'm really glad that I kept my laptop with me. I can replace my clothes and stuff, but if anything were to happen to my laptop I would be in trouble." 

"Why is that?" 

"Umm, just has some personal stuff on it that I'd prefer not to lose." 

"Please tell me there aren't any naked pics of you or Pugh on there or videos for that matter." 

Charlotte laughs, "No, nothing like that. I would never ... we would never do that." 

"Good! Keep it that way! I don't ever wanna see either of your goods showing up online." 

"Same goes for you, Lan, ain't no one wanting to see that." Charlotte waves her hand up and down to accentuate what she is saying, causing them both to laugh.

"You want to watch or movie or something until my stuff arrives?" 

"Have you checked in with your girl yet?" 

"Crap, nope! Thanks for the reminder, I'm going to take a walk just outside and call her, be back shortly." 

Charlotte puts her shoes back on and grabs what she needs before heading outside the building and sitting down on a nearby bench. 

Ring, ring

"Hey, I was starting to get worried." 

"Sorry, Babe, I was distracted; my luggage missed the flight." 

"They lost your bag?" 

"No, according to the computer, my bag was left behind in Philly and is catching the later flight here." 

She hears Mal laugh, "It's not funny, Babe." 

"It kinda is; you were the one who had everything planned and timed perfectly only to have your bag miss its flight, whereas, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off and everything arrived fine." 

"Whatever, so you're flight was good?" 

"Perfect, thanks for the upgrade, Babe." 

"You're welcome. I miss you, already." 

"Me too. By the way, I may have borrowed your favourite Cardinal hoodie to sleep in." 

"I figured you might. I guess I'll have to make do with one of my others." 

"You'll most likely get some new stuff to wear at camp as well." 

"True. I've really been slacking on my training during the holidays, Mal, I'm concerned that I may have lost a step." 

"Baby, just because we weren't training every day, doesn't mean you were slacking; your body needed the rest." 

"I don't think it needed the extra cookies or ice cream I ate while at home." 

"Probably not, but I'm sure once you get back on the field you will be fine." 

"Hope so. I'm planning on hitting the gym tomorrow with some of the girls and then I start classes." 

"I still think that you should've lightened your class schedule to accommodate for being away at camp and the tournament."

"I'll be fine, provided I have some form of internet access. My instructors are totally cool about me being away because they know I will put the work in. After all, I'm All-Academic right?"

Charlotte's phone buzzes, "Babe, I should go, I'm getting another call. I love you and will talk to you tomorrow, sweet dreams beautiful." 

"Night, C.J. Love you." 

Charlotte answers the number only to be informed that her missing luggage will now be arriving in the morning.

She walks back up to the room and grabs some clothes to get changed into from her drawer. 

"My suitcase won't be here until the morning now, some sort of delay. I'm gonna get ready for bed, the time difference is starting to get me."

Alana nods as she stares at her phone screen.

Charlotte heads down the hallway to the washroom to get complete her nighttime routine and get changed before heading back to the dorm room and after digging through her bag, she finds her phone charger and plugs it in before laying down and quickly drifting off.

The next morning both her and Alana are awoken by knocking on the door and she opts to answer the door, expecting it to be one of their many teammates but instead is surprised by a gentleman with her suitcase. 

He looks down at his phone, "Are you, Charlotte Gordon?"

She nods, "I am." 

"Perfect, can I get you to sign this paper confirming receipt of your bag, please?"

Charlotte takes the paper and pen and signs beside her name before handing it back to him. 

"Thanks so much." 

"You're welcome, have a good day, ma'am." 

"You too." 

Charlotte carries her bag inside and then lays back down on the bed, "Lan, what time are we meeting the girls at?" 

"10, so we have about an hour." 

"I'm exhausted and this bed is even more uncomfy then I remember it being." 

"If we get up and moving now, we can grab a coffee and something to eat first."

"Ummm, coffee." Charlotte slowly sits up and looks over at her roommate. "Let's do it." 

They both get up and changed before heading out to grab some coffee and a small breakfast before meeting the girls for a workout. 

After getting their sweat on and catching up with the girls, Charlotte and Alana return to the dorm to grab showers and change into fresh, clean clothes before Alana gives Charlotte a ride back to the now Mal less apartment. 

"You sure you want to stay here all alone?" 

"I'll be fine, Lan and soon enough I'll be heading to Tampa for camp anyway. You wanna grab your stuff and then we can get some groceries and I'll make us some food." 

"Yes, please! I've missed your cooking."

"Awww, you missed me." 

"Shut up, Gordon!" 

After returning Alana's belonging to the dorm they make a stop at the grocery store and pick up supplies before returning to the apartment. 

"You good with a simple stir-fry for supper? I don't really feel up to making anything extravagant at the moment." 

"I'm fine with anything I don't have to make or eat out of a container." 

While Charlotte gets to work on supper Alana makes herself at home in front of the TV. 

Once they polish off the chicken and veggie goodness, Alana heads out on the pretence that she needs to get ready for the morning, but Charlotte knows it's because she doesn't want to wash dishes. As her roommate and friend leaves, she puts on some tunes and gets to washing and cleaning up her mess. 

Ring, ring

Charlotte looks at the screen and smiles

"Hey, beautiful." 

"Hey, how are you?" 

"I'm missing the woman I love, you?" 

"Same. How was your workout today?" 

"Let's just say that I was the first to hit the ice bath." 

"Woah, that bad huh?" 

"Apparently, we haven't been getting in enough cardio, because I was struggling at points." 

"We'll definitely have to work on getting in more cardio in the future then." 

"Definitely. Did Brianna, Jace and Marley get off all right?" 

"Yeah, Marls left a couple of pictures behind for you." 

"Aww. Can you send me pictures of them?" 

"After, I put them in my drawer so they wouldn't get lost or damaged. It feels so weird laying in my bed without you." 

"You're in bed?" 

"Yeah." 

"What are you wearing?" 

She hears Mal laugh, "Your hoodie and some shorts. You?" 

"Give me a few minutes and it'll be nothing." 

"I like that visual." 

"How about we switch to Facetime?"

"Okay." 

Charlotte heads into the bedroom and quickly sends her clothing to the floor before laying on the bed and awaiting Mal's call. 

Once it comes through it doesn't take very long before both Mal and Charlotte are coming as well. 

"As good as that feels, I much prefer to touch and taste you rather than doing it to myself."

"I would agree with that statement, but you need to work with what you have available and unfortunately for us, it's going to be a bit before we can get together in person again."

"I love you, Mally." 

"Love you to the moon and back, C.J." 

Charlotte smiles as she notices Mal's eyes start to get heavy as they talk. "Time for you to close your eyes and get some beauty sleep, not that you need it because you're already gorgeous to me."

"Stay with me?" 

"Of course. Sweet dreams." 

Charlotte watches through the screen as Mal gets comfortable and after blowing her a kiss closes her eyes and eventually falls asleep. She ends the call and after a quick trip to the bathroom, checks that her alarm is set plugs in her phone and calls it a night. 


	58. Chapter 58

Charlotte sits on the bench grabbing a drink after completing a training session. Tierna takes a seat beside her, "You ready for camp?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "So, ready, how about you, T?" 

Tierna smiles, "Can't wait. Make sure you get a cool down in and I'll see you in the morning for our flight to Tampa." 

"Will do!" Charlotte watches as Tierna walks over and joins some of the other girls to complete a cooldown, before standing up, walking over and joining them. 

After showering, changing and grabbing something to eat, she spends the next several hours in class, trying to focus on what is being taught but having difficulties with it as her head is already on US camp.

"Charlie?" Charlotte looks up at her instructor, "Yes, Sir?" 

Her instructor smiles, "You've already submitted your lab and notes for this session, how about you head out as it's clear your head is elsewhere at the moment." 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Sorry about that." 

"It's okay, just do us proud at camp and the tournament." 

"I'll do my best." 

"If you have any questions or concerns while you're away, just email me and I'm sure we can sort things out." 

"Thank you." Charlotte packs up her stuff and starts to walk towards the door, hearing several voices of her classmates yelling good luck before she makes her way out of the room and stands in the hallway, collecting her thoughts. 

Looking at her phone, she decides to give Mal a call as she finds her way back to the apartment to collect a few things before finishing her packing and staying at the dorm so that she can leave with her fellow Cardinal teammates that are heading to the camp along with her.

Ring, ring

"Mal's phone." 

Charlotte stops walking and looks at the phone, "Umm, who is this?" 

She hears a laugh, "Sorry, I should have said that off the start, it's Lindsey, Charlie; Mal is in the middle of a session and I saw your name and picture come up, so I figured it would be okay if I answered for her. So, what's up?" 

"Not much, just getting stuff straightened away before I leave for the U-20 camp." 

"Oh right, Mal told me that, I'm sure that you will have no issue with making the team and as Mal says dazzling them with your speed and skill." 

Charlotte laughs, "Does she really say that?" 

Lindsey laughs, "Something like that and insists that she would put her money on you beating Pressy in a one on one race." 

"Oh, wow, I didn't know that." 

"She is really proud of you, you know." 

"I'm proud of her as well, I can wait to see her back on the field for the US and the Spirit this season; hopefully, it will be a better one for them." 

"No comment." 

Charlotte laughs, "Umm, go Thorns!" 

"That was pretty weak, but appreciated. Anyways, Mal is on her way back over so I'll pass you back." 

"Lindsey, one last thing, how is Mal doing?" 

"She's okay, she misses you and won't shut up about you, but I think getting back into a training routine is helping her." 

"Look after her for me, okay?" 

"I will, bye Charlie." Charlotte hears voices and then Mal comes on, "Hey Babe." 

"Hey, yourself, how's training?" 

"Good. When do you leave?" 

"In the morning." 

"You all packed?" 

"Just about, have a few things left to pack but they are at the dorm, so I'll take of that soon." 

"I miss you." Charlotte smiles a soft smile, "I miss you, too, beautiful." 

"I'm being called back for another drill, so I should go now; I love you, baby, fly safe and message me when you get there. Also, knock 'em dead!" 

Charlotte smiles and laughs, "I'll do my best. Love you, Captain Mally. We'll talk soon, I promise. Bye babe." 

"Bye." 

The line goes dead and Charlotte sits on the bed feeling sad, lonely and also guilty about heading to camp and presumably the CONCACAF Championship as a member of the United States U-20 team.

After ensuring she has everything she needs from the apartment and that there is nothing in the fridge that will go bad while she is away, she locks up and makes her way back to the dorm, where she lays down and crashes for a bit before Alana returns and being her usual noisy self wakes her up.

Charlotte lets out a yawn as she looks at and listens to her friend doing a rather brutal job of singing along with the song currently playing in her ears. Having enough, she throws a pillow at her and gets Alana's attention. 

Charlotte puts her hand to her ear and Alana looks at her, "Do I even want to know what you are doing?" 

"Just listening to the dogs howling outside in response to your singing." 

Alana picks up the pillow and throws it back at her, causing both of them to burst out laughing. 

"You left your sweatshirt at training, Tierna gave it to me to pass on to you." Alana reaches in her bag and throws one of Charlotte's Cardinal sweatshirts over to her. 

"I was totally looking for that! Thanks, Lan." 

"Thank T, she figured you would want it back for your trip." 

"Definitely. You going to miss while I'm gone?" 

"You're barely here now, so how could I possibly miss you?" 

"Point taken, I promise when I get back that we will hang more." 

They spend the remainder of the afternoon and evening working on school stuff, chatting, eating and then finally calling it an early night, knowing that Charlotte has to be ready to head to the airport first thing in the morning. 

When her alarm goes off in the morning, Charlotte reluctantly and slowly gets out of bed and gets changed into her travelling clothes before heading to the washroom to complete her morning routine. Once she has minty fresh breath and is a bit more awake she returns to the room and packs up the remainder of her toiletries into her suitcase. 

She looks over at Alana's bed and sees her friend sitting up and smiling at her, "Have fun." 

Charlotte walks over and gives her a big hug, "Thanks, Lan. Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm away." 

"Me? Trouble? No, I wouldn't do that!" 

Charlotte laughs, "Bye, Lan." 

"Bye, Charlie." Alana lays back down and covers herself as she watches Charlotte put on her backpack and pull her suitcase out the door. 

After meeting in the cafeteria to grab some breakfast and much needed caffeine, Charlotte and a few of her Cardinal teammates load their bags into a van and are driven to the airport to catch their flight to Tampa. 

Charlotte watches as her bag is tagged and passed on and can only hope that there is no repeat performance of her previous flight on United Airlines. 

An hour and 15 minutes later and they are wheels up and on their way to Florida. Charlotte entertains herself on the flight by working on one of her assignments. She feels a hand on her arm and takes out her Airpods. 

Her teammate, Kiara Pickett looks at the screen and then her, "How do you even know what all those numbers mean?" 

"Lots of reading, studying and maybe a little guessing." 

"A little guessing? You're saying that while we're like a million miles up in the air!" 

Charlotte laughs, "Kiki, we aren't a million miles up more like only 6 or 7 and I'm sure we are perfectly safe, so relax."

"You wanna watch a movie with me?" 

"Whatcha got?" 

"I pirated a copy of, "Stomp the Yard." 

"Never heard of it, what's it about?" 

"Don't really know, haven't watched it yet, but the gist of it is the dude's brother is killed, and he turns to dancing or is a dancer, not sure; do you wanna watch or not?" 

"Sure, why not." 

After she makes sure to save her work and closes up her laptop, she and Kiara get comfortable and watch the movie until it finishes. 

"Not gonna lie that movie was pretty bad, but the dance moves were pretty sick." 

"Some of the guys were hot, though." 

"I guess so if you're into that type." 

Kiara laughs, "Some of the girls were as well, even I admit to that." 

Charlotte smiles and laughs as she nods in response. "None of them even come close to Mal, though." 

"How long have the two of you been together for?"

"Long enough for me to know that she is the one for me." 

"You're pretty serious then, huh?" 

Charlotte nods, "Between you and me, I've already been looking at engagement rings." 

"OH MY GOD, SERIOUSLY??"

"Shhh!! Yes." 

"She'd be nuts to say no to you, Charlie. I want an invite to the ceremony." 

"I'll think about it." 

They spend the last hour of the flight just talking about random things including the different books they've read and movies they've seen, which in Charlotte's case is pretty limited as she much prefers to watch documentaries unless Mal is with her.

Once they land and disembark, they head towards the luggage area where Charlotte hopes that her luggage made the trip with her and lets out a sigh of relief upon seeing her suitcase on the belt. 

They meet up with an official from the team who lets them know that they are waiting on another flight to arrive and once it does they will head to the hotel. 

Charlotte takes advantage of the wait to send Mal a message and let her know that her flight has landed. 

After Mal responds back, she sits and watches the arrivals and smiles when she sees Ashley and a few of her UCLA teammates arrive on the scene. 

She walks over to her and they greet each other with a hug, before collecting Ashley's suitcase from the belt as it circles around. 

"It's so good to see you; it's been way too long!" 

"You're the one who decided to head back to the ice and cold rather than staying in the sunshine."

"You mean I opted to spend the holidays with my girlfriend's family as well as my own and not tanning my buttcheeks on the beach with you." 

"Yeah, well, just so you know my ass is looking fine if I do say so myself." 

Charlotte shakes her head, "I'll take your word for that. So, how are you doing with everything?" 

"Can we put the personal stuff discussion on hold until we get to the hotel? I don't need everyone knowing about me and Jessie." 

"We can definitely do that. You get anything good for Christmas aside from clothing?" 

"Not really, you?" 

"Mal and her fam got me an astronaut training experience."

Ashley laughs, "Only a nerd like you would be interested in that." 

"Well, at least I have a girlfriend who knows me well enough to know that I would like it." 

"Ouch, low blow alert." 

"Sorry!"

They load up into the vans and are driven to the hotel where they will be staying for the next several days. 

Collecting their suitcases and bags they follow the rest of the group inside and are met by team representatives, checked in, given room assignments and then told where to find the kit room, as well as breakfast and meeting rooms. 

"Gordon and Sanchez, Room 211." They are given their room keys and informed when the meal room will be open for supper. 

"Did you ask for us to be roommates, Ash?" 

"I may have mentioned that it would be beneficial towards fostering team chemistry if we were roomed together. I may have also gotten down on my hands and knees and begged for it." 

"You did no such thing."

"You're right, I didn't beg, but I did send a message asking for us to be roomed together."

They swipe their key card and enter the room, "You think all the rooms are set up like this? It's kinda weird." 

"Just means that you're going to be sharing my bed if you want to watch TV, Ash." 

"Whoever designed this room needs their head checked." 

"Why? Because the beds look right into the bathroom?" 

"Amongst other things." 

"Don't be such a princess, Sanchez." 

They place their suitcases on the beds and get unpacked before heading to the kit room and picking up their team accessories for the camp. After dropping them back in their room, they meet up with some of the girls and play catch and get to know you before heading down for supper. 

After supper, they are allowed the remainder of the evening to do with as they wish with most of them opting to just chill in their rooms before training and testing start in the morning.

Charlotte and Ashley head back to their room, get changed into comfies and then decided to get down to business with the personal questions. 

"You ready to talk about you and Jessie?"

"There isn't really much to say, she asked to be assigned another roommate and I haven't spoken with her since she left to head home for the holidays." 

"Have you messaged or called her?" 

"Does sending her a message saying Merry Christmas and Happy New Year count?" 

"No, that's what you do if you want to remain in the friend zone, which I know for a fact you don't." 

"I like her more than a friend, and I miss her. How do I get her back, Charlie?"

"It's a given that she will be a member of the Canadian team at the tournament, right?" 

"Yeah." 

"Then how about we spend this week focusing on making the team and figuring out how to get your girl back." 

"Thanks, Charlie." 

"That's what friends are for." They share a quick hug and Charlotte smiles as her phone buzzes and a picture of Mal pops up. 

"I'm going to go and check out what snacks are in the vending machine." Ashley stands up and grabs her bag before heading out of the room. 

"Grab me some chips, if you can." 

Charlotte watches as Ash walks out the door before responding to the message.

New Message

C.J.: Damn gurl you look 🔥🔥🔥

Mal: I'm heading out for a girls night, wish you were here.

C.J.: Have fun, be safe and don't ever forget that I love you. 

Mal: I could never forget that or you; you are mine and I am yours. Night Baby. ❤️❤️❤️

C.J.: Night beautiful ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Charlotte decides to poke her head out in the hallway and takes a look for Ashley, not seeing her she lays back on her bed and pulls up her emails. She reads the ones that Mackenzie has forwarded on to her with regards to the latest numbers, and projections. She signs off on the latest proposal for J.C. Glass and The Known Universe inspired merchandise to be rolled out in stores over the next few months, knowing that once the movie begins production she stands to make bank off of it all and once again feels incredibly guilty with the fact that her bank account balance has more numbers in it than she will ever be able to spend in this lifetime. 

New Message

Charlie: I know I shouldn't feel guilty about my success but I do and the only way I can think to alleviate the guilt is to come clean. 

Finn: I can only imagine how difficult it is for you to have to live in the shadows, but it's not the right time for you to come clean. One day soon we will smash the glass, but until then know that I'm always here for you. 

Charlie: Thanks Finn, sometimes it just helps to be able to talk about it with someone in the know.

Finn: I get that. How are you doing?

Charlie: Good, I'm at camp and Ash is my roomie. 

Finn: Lucky you, I wouldn't mind her being my roomie. Any chance she's a switch hitter?

Charlotte laughs when she sees Finn's message. 

Charlie: Maybe, maybe not; that's for me to know and you to find out. Ash is back now, so I should call it a night, we have testing tomorrow and I should get as much sleep as possible. 

Finn: Okay, sleep well, and have fun running circles around the competition. Talk soon.

Charlie: Lol. I will. Night, Finnegan. 

Ashley walks out from the bathroom and climbs under her covers, "Alarms, all set for the morning?" 

"Alarms?" 

"We know each other well enough to know that it takes multiple alarms to get both of us up in the morning."

"True and done. By the way, where are my chips?" 

"I got snacky while talking with some of the girls. I'll get you some tomorrow after testing." 

Charlotte laughs, "I'll hold you to that; by the way, any chance that you like Finn as anything other than a friend?" 

"Where's that coming from?" 

"We were talking earlier and he kinda mentioned whether you were a switch hitter, so I thought that I would ask." 

"Finn is funny and he's cute; I could maybe give him a chance to woo me if Jessie and I don't work out." 

"So, you do like guys?"

"Not usually, but I like Finn. Anyways, I'm turning in, Night Charlie." 

"Night, Ash, can't wait to obliterate you in testing tomorrow." 

She hears Ashley laugh before the room goes silent and after closing her eyes eventually sleep takes hold of her. 


	59. Chapter 59

Charlotte listens and watches as she continues to set the pace for the remainder of the girls in the much-dreaded beep test. Slowly, the numbers start to dwindle and soon only a handful of the girls are left including Ashley, who is doing her best to keep up with her but falling off fast. With the next few beeps, most of the remaining players drop off, while Charlotte easily adjusts and keeps pace. The team surrounds the area and cheers her as she blazes to a personal best before finally calling it quits.

Ashley throws a water bottle her way, which slips out of her hand and hits the floor creating a puddle. "Oops!" Charlotte picks up the bottle and using a towel wipes up the water before downing what is left inside it.

"Seriously, aren't you the same person who was talking about how out of shape they were on the ride over here and now you smash it, like what the heck is up with that?"

Charlotte shrugs, "Don't know, got lucky, I guess."

"I call bullshit on that!" Charlotte, Ashley and the girls in close proximity all start laughing.

They continue on with torture day and complete all of the testings before heading back to the hotel and completing a team cool down and stretching session.   
  
  


"Nice job today everyone, Charlotte, sorry Charlie, can I speak with you for a minute?" Charlotte looks at Ash and Tierna before nodding her head and following their Coach over to the side of the room.

"Everything okay, Coach?" Charlotte looks on anxiously, having not had much of an opportunity to gauge her or her movements yet.

Coach Klimkova smiles at her, "Everything is fine, I just wanted to let you know that we were all impressed with your results today and can't wait to see what you can do on the pitch. Michelle informed me prior to leaving, not to count you out, that you could to be an umm, diamond in the rough and based on the season you just had at Stanford, I expect you to be one of the leaders of our team heading into qualifying. Keep up the good work."

Charlotte smiles, "Thank you, Coach. I'll do my best not to let you down."

"Finish up and I'll see you at supper."

"Yes, Coach."

Charlotte rejoins Ashley and gets back to stretching and rolling herself out.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing much, she just wanted to let me know that they were impressed with my test results and to keep up the good work."

"Uh-huh. So, you want to watch a movie when we get back to the room?"

"I have some school stuff that I need to finish up and submit first. It should take me maybe an hour tops, to finish and then we can watch a movie together if that's okay with you."

"Actually now that you mention it, I should probably work on some of my school stuff as well."

Charlotte laughs, "That I'd like to see."

"Shut up! Not all of us are big brains like you."

"You know Mal thinks it's funny to call me Wikipedia, because as she says I know a little about a lot."

"Wikipedia, huh? I think I prefer calling you a big brain." Ash laughs as she says it. 

Once they are all finished with their session they head up to their rooms, get cleaned up and changed before having a couple of hours of free time before supper.

Sitting on their beds, laptops in front of them both Charlotte and Ash work away on their respective assignments until Ash slams down her computer and stands up letting out a frustrated yell.

Charlotte takes out her Airpods and looks at her friend, "Need some help?"

"How much do you know about the structure of politics and government?"

"American or International?"

"Just American. I'm struggling with a paper that I need to write comparing and contrasting the power relations between the government and society."

Charlotte puts her hands out towards Ash, "Let me read what you have so far, I'm pretty good with finding the right words and putting them together."

Sitting on the bed for the next few hours, Charlotte dissects what her friend is trying to say and helps her to rearrange her thoughts and information in a more conducive manner.

"Oh my God, this is so much better. My instructor is probably going to question if I wrote it now though."

Charlotte laughs, "If anything is mentioned then perhaps you should inform them that you've taken it upon yourself to receive some additional help and guidance while away from class."

"I'm not paying you for your help."

"Figured as much, but you still owe me a bag of chips. Now, I need to finish up my own work and get it submitted."   
  
  


Over the next few days, Charlotte and Ashley spend most of their time together on and off the field and the strong bond between them shows on the field and with their ability to anticipate each other's movements they leave the coaching staff with no other decision than to keep the two of them together upfront.

At the end of the camp, it comes as no surprise to anyone when their names are amongst the 20 on the roster for CONCACAF.

Charlotte and Ashley sit in their hotel room, "Alright, so we made the team, now we need to focus on how you can get Jessie back."

"I've been doing some thinking about that and I realized that perhaps Jess was scared away when she started to develop feelings for me as I did her. It made things real, maybe, too real."

Charlotte nods, "Makes sense. So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I think that when we get to Trinidad and Tobago, I'm going to see if we can talk things out. I figure if we're on an island there is only so far she can run from me, right?"

Charlotte laughs, "Let me guess you Googled it?"

"We can't all be a big brain like you."

"My brain is the same size as yours, I just choose to fill it with more important information than who the bachelor chooses to give his roses too."

"Wait a second, did you just admit to watching the Bachelor?"

"I may have watched it with Mal."

"Uh-huh, funny how you felt the need to add the with Mal, part."

"It's true if you don't believe me message her and ask."

"Don't worry, I will!"   
  
  


They finish eating lunch with their teammates before most of them decide to chill poolside or find their way outside of the hotel to do some exploring.

"You coming to hang with us poolside, Charlie?"

"I wish that I could T, but, I should take advantage of the time before we leave to work on some school stuff."

"It'll do you some good to step away from the screen and books for a short time, Charlie; don't make me call Mal on you."

"Why does everyone use my relationship against me?"

"Because you are so clearly and obviously whipped by your girlfriend that we know the mere mention of her name will make you jump into action."

"Fine, I guess a few hours of sunshine and hanging poolside won't hurt."

Ashley grabs her arm and drags her, "Let's get changed before you change your mind."

The rest of the girls laugh as Ashley pulls Charlotte towards the elevator and pushes the button.

"Are you always this uptight? I never noticed it before."

"Because usually, I have Mal around to help me unwind if you know what I mean."

"There's still time for us, you haven't put a ring on her finger yet."

"Never going to happen, Sanchez."

"Did you ever at any point think about us a couple, Charlie?"

"When I thought that Mal was out of reach, it may have passed through my mind, but that's it. The more I got to know and understand you, I realized that we would never have made it, we're just too different and we work as friends."

"I get that. I'm glad that we are friends and I'm also appreciative of all the help you've given me with my school stuff this week. Thanks, Charlie."

"No worries. Now, I suppose we should get changed and head down to the pool before they come searching for us."

"You do realize they won't actually come searching for us right? Most likely they will bombard our phones with messages and calls until we either turn them off or turn up poolside."

"Either way, let's not keep them waiting."   
  
  


After getting changed into their bikinis, Charlie takes a second to admire Ashley's backside, "Hey Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Your ass is looking mighty fine."

Ashley bursts out laughing, "Told ya! Now stop drooling and let's go."   
  
  


With the final roster solidified the players that remain, get ready to make the trip to Trinidad and Tobago for the tournament.

Charlotte sits on the bed talking with Mal while Ashley finishes up her packing.

"I know, I miss you, too, baby."

"I will. I can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks."

"Love you, too, Captain Mally."

"Bye, beautiful."

Charlotte feels Ash's arms wrap around her as she puts her head on her friend's shoulder. 

"I really hate being away from her, Ash."

"I know, but just think she will be there when you get back to California and you guys can do your thing in person rather than trying to be sneaky about it on the phone."

Charlotte's eyes go big, "Did you hear us?"

"Yep and let me just say, I didn't think you had that in you!"

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!"

"Just try and remember next time that your Airpods prevent me from hearing what Mal says, not what you say."

"Noted and I promise it won't happen again."  
  
  


The next day after an early breakfast the members of the team make the trip back to the airport in Tampa and wait for their flight to be called.

They don't have very long and and soon find themselves on the way to Trinidad and Tobago. Two movies and 100 pages later, the announcement comes over the intercom to inform them that are beginning the descent into Piarco International Airport.

Once all their papers are checked and everything is in order, they board a bus to take them to their hotel, which they are informed is a little over an hour away from the airport and a half-hour from the stadium where they will be practicing and playing.

Pulling upfront of their new base of operations they quickly make their way off the bus and stretch themselves out as they wait for their bags to be unloaded.

"What time is it here? I promised to message my Mom when we landed."

Charlie laughs, "We are currently three hours ahead of California."

"Of course, you know that."

"I goggled it before we left," Charlotte looks at Ash and winks.   
  
  


Once they are given their room assignments and their schedule for the next few days, they head up to get unpacked and settled before having some time to themselves and then meeting up for supper.

"You wanna do some exploring?"

"Definitely, let me just grab my phone and room key."

Ashley and Charlotte head out of their room and meet up with some of their teammates who also had the same idea. As they make their way out of the hotel a bus pulls up and as the doors open, they watch their Canadian counterparts climb down the steps and begin to collect their bags.

Ash freezes when she sees her former roommate step down behind Jordyn Huitema. They lock eyes before Jessie ducks over and behind and collects her luggage.

"Can we go now, please?"

Charlotte instinctively pulls Ash into her side, "You'll be okay, I promise."

They follow along behind their teammates and snap pictures of the beautiful surroundings before heading back to the hotel.

Charlotte grabs a seat on a bench, "Go ahead, I'm just going to grab some air and check-in with Mal."

After she checks in with her girlfriend and also lets her Mom know she is safe, Charlotte stares at her contacts and brings up the F's, stopping on Fleming.

New Message

Charlie: Hey Jessie, can we talk?

Jessie: I don't have anything to say.

Charlie: Okay, then let me do the talking and you listen. I'm out in front of the hotel sitting on a bench, come down and meet me.

Jessie: Just you, no Ash.

Charlie: It's just me, Ash is in our room.

Jessie: Okay, I'll be out in a few.   
  
  


Charlotte scrolls through her phone and messages until she hears the doors of the hotel open and she looks up to see the Canadian midfielder making her way towards her and sitting down.

"Hey Jessie, thanks for coming."

"I don't know what you want from me, Charlie."

"I simply want to know what happened to make you ghost, Ash."

"I didn't mean to. It's just we agreed to be friends with benefits and then ..."

"Let me guess, you caught feelings?"

Jessie nods.

"You do realize that the same thing happened to Ash, right?"

"I thought that it was only me."

"Are you interested in an actual relationship with Ash? Or not?"

"I am, but, I can't do anything that will take away from me focusing on playing."

Charlotte smiles, "I get that, but I think that you owe it to Ash to have this conversation with her and then decide together how to go forward with it. It's pretty obvious that the two of you are miserable, so how about you go and knock on Room 305 and get your shit sorted out."

Jessie laughs and nods, "Okay, but if it goes bad expect my Canadian mates to come after you."

"I'll be waiting, but I don't think it will."

Jessie and Charlotte hug before the Canadian makes her way back into the hotel.

New Message

C.J.: So I may have just played cupid or I may be about to get my butt kicked by a group of Canadians.

Mal: Dare I ask?

C.J.: I just spoke with Jessie and told her that she needed to speak with Ash and get things in the open.

Mal: It's been nice knowing you, Babe.

C.J.: It's a good thing you're beautiful, cause you ain't all that funny 😘

Mal: I hope you like sleeping on the couch.

C.J.: 💔💔💔

Mal: I'm only kidding.

C.J.: I know, I need to head to supper now, so I'll message you later, okay?

Mal: Sounds good. Love you.

C.J.: Love you, too.   
  
  


Charlotte heads inside and sits down with her teammates to eat.

"Where's your roomie at?"

"She's not here?"

They all shake their heads. "Damn, okay, I guess I need to go and find her."

Charlotte leaves the room and sends Ash a couple of messages and then calls her but gets no response. She waits for the elevator and then rides up to the top floor and makes her way to their room. She slides in her card and opens the door before walking inside.

Seeing what is happening she makes an attempt to cover her eyes but can't prevent herself from laughing as she yells out for Ash and Jessie to get their shirts back on and make themselves decent.

"Nice to see the two of you communicating again, but Ash, you are needed in the meal room."

Charlotte heads to the door, "Bye, Jessie."

Making her way back downstairs, Charlotte grabs a plate and then retakes her place with her teammates.

"Did you find her?"

"Yep, she was in bed, but will be down soon, I think."

"You think?"

Charlotte laugh and nods.


	60. Chapter 60

Charlotte lays on her hotel room bed, Facetiming Mal while she awaits Ashley finishing up in the bathroom after their training session.

"How are you feeling about the teams' chances on Friday and overall?"

"We've been working hard in practice the past few days, I think that we have as good a chance as any team does to make it to the final and as for Friday, we're matched up against Nicaragua, I don't think they should pose a threat to us." 

"Hope not. I wish I was there to watch you play. I miss you." 

"I miss you too, Baby, but once this tournament is over we will have a couple of weeks together." 

"I can't wait. Oh, when you get a chance can you send my Mom the link for that chicken parmigiana you made? I told her how awesome it turned out, so she wants to try it out for herself." 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Sure, let me grab my laptop and I'll do it while I think of it." 

Charlotte grabs her computer from the table where it was plugged in and charging and turns it on. "Is that the only recipe that you want me to send her, Babe?"

"Oh, can you send the sweet potato fries one as well?" 

Charlotte laughs, "Mal, all that was involved with that was cutting them up, seasoning, oiling and baking them." 

"Please?" Mal smiles at her through the screen. 

"Fine, but only because I'm a sucker for your cute face." 

Charlotte locates the links and attaches them to an email, before sending them on to Karen. 

"Alright, tell your Mom to check her email." 

Charlotte sees Karen give her a thumbs up in the background and assumes that means she received them. 

Ashley comes out of the bathroom and yells Hello to Mal before she finishes getting dressed. 

"Mal, Ash is out of the shower now, so I'm gonna go. Love you and I'll message you later, okay?" 

"Okay, Babe, Love you. Bye." 

"Bye." 

Once the call is hung up, Charlotte puts her phone down and grabs some clothes to put on from the dresser. 

"Hey, Charlie, can I use your computer for Netflix? I forgot to charge mine." 

"Yeah, but don't watch the Office without me, I kinda like it." 

"Fine, I'll put on Brooklyn 99 instead." 

"K, be out shortly." 

Charlotte heads into the bathroom and gets herself set up to shower and clean up, while Ashley collects her laptop and sets it down in front of herself. 

Scanning over the file folders on the desktop, she can't help but notice one of to the side labelled "Revelation," as her interest is piqued, and as she hears the water running in the bathroom, she decides to click on the folder and open it up, to see what it is all about.

Once the file loads up, she looks at the title page that simply has the word Revelation centred on it and shrugs, wondering if she has stumbled upon her friend's version of a journal or a diary and considering closing it, before scrolling down and realizing that it comes off more like a book then either of those. She debates continuing to read it or closing the folder and trying to forget what she saw, but being the curious type, she begins to scroll down and read the words on the screen, getting to the 10th page before her mind is blown. "Nathaniel Richmond?" "There is no way, this is just a coincidence, right?" Ash looks around the room as if seeking a response from the empty space that will explain what she just read. 

Continuing to scroll downward, the words, places and names become more familiar to her, and she covers her face, before letting out a, "Holy shit! It can't be!" 

Charlotte walks out of the bathroom to collect her hairbrush and hears her friend engaged in a conversation with herself and silently laughs to herself before responding, "What can't be, Ash? Don't tell me I missed the Pontiac Bandit dude, I like him, he's hilarious." 

Ashley doesn't respond to her and continues to stare at the screen in front of her instead. Charlotte walks over to see what has garnered her attention, and when she sees her book open there, she quickly slams down the laptop, "I can explain. Just let me finish getting dressed and I will explain everything, Ash." 

She places the laptop back on the table before heading into the bathroom and quickly throwing on her comfies and pulling her hair up into a ponytail. Once that is taken care of she sits down beside a still clearly in shock, Ashley and takes her hand. 

"Ask me the question, I know you want to." 

"Are you... I mean, how? what? Oh my God, I'm so confused." 

"Ash takes some breaths and listen to me. I'm the same person I was 10 minutes ago." 

Ashley pulls her hand away, shakes her head and fights with her emotions, "You aren't, who are you? And why is that on your computer?"

"I'm Charlotte Jennifer Gordon, but I'm also J.C. Glass, the mysterious writer behind "The Known, Into The Unknown and Know-How. What you read is a book I am currently working on called Revelation, which is in effect a prequel to the entire series. As you can see it's not done yet." 

"Are you screwing with me, Charlie? because if, so this isn't very nice." 

Charlotte laughs, "I promise you that I'm not, everything I just said is the truth." 

"You're really, J.C. Glass?" 

"I am."

"Prove it to me, because so far all I've seen is the beginning of what looks like a book." 

Charlotte smiles, "Alright prepare to have your mind blown." She collects her laptop and types in a file name bringing up the original draft of The Known with her name on the title page."

"Oh my God, it really is you, I mean, J.C. Glass is you, holy shit! This is insane, my bestie is J.C. Glass, Woah."

"You good, Ash?" 

Ashley nods and looks at her, "So, wait, are you like rich? because those books have been atop the bestseller list forever and now there's a movie coming out, right?" 

Charlotte nods, "Let's just say that I have a rather substantial bank account and because of scheduling, it may be two years before the movie is released. Do you have any questions for me?" 

"Does Mal, know?" 

"She does. Ash, I hope it goes without me needing to say it, but, I need you to promise to keep this information to yourself and not tell anyone, even Jessie." 

"Why don't you want people to know that you wrote them? They are amazing and you should be incredibly proud of them. I mean, I'm just finding out that my bestie has kept the biggest secret ever from me and I can't help but feel happy and proud of you at the same time as being shocked and well, I guess also somewhat disappointed that I had to find out this way and not by you telling me yourself." 

"I get that, and I'm really sorry, Ash. I never expected the books to take off and do as well as they are; I originally wrote them as a means to help me overcome the grief I was feeling about losing my father, he was actually the one who came up with the original concept of The Known, not me. I wrote them under a pseudonym because, when I originally submitted them under my own name, they got rejected and it hurt to come home to the letters of rejection. One of the letters suggested that perhaps if the books were written by someone other than Charlotte J. Gordon, they would be better received, and soon Kenz came up with the name J.C. Glass and it went from there. In case you are wondering the J stands for Jason, which was my Dad's name and the C for Charlotte, which is of course my name and Glass just because it's a play on being transparent." 

"But why do you not want the world to know who you really are? I would be shouting it from the rooftops and telling anyone who would listen." 

"It started out as a means to create intrigue and sell the books and soon it became a huge part of the identity or lack thereof identity of J.C. Glass. When The Known starting taking off, people became more interested in knowing who I was and there was an is tons of theories out there as to my real identity and people were actively searching me out and continue to do so. With more sales and publicity, it just became easier to remain anonymous in order to be able to live a normal life without constant outside interference and concerns for the safety of those I care about, including Mal. When I signed with my publisher the lore of J.C. Glass's real identity and keeping it a secret was built into the contract and remains so that they help protect me."

"Ash, I didn't start out wanting to become an author, it just came to me and for that, I will be forever thankful, but right now I just want to be Charlie, the soccer player from Stanford and Mal's girlfriend. Hopefully, you knowing all of this doesn't change our relationship, I love you, Ash; you are my best friend and I really am sorry that I kept this info from you. I promise that in the future there will be no more secrets between us. Can you forgive me?" 

Ashley looks at her and smiles, "So, I guess this means you are an even bigger brain that I already thought you were." 

Charlotte laughs, "Possibly, are we okay?" 

"The way I figure it, a new board would go a long way towards making us okay." 

"I'm willing to bet that you already have one picked out." 

Ashley nods, "Yep." 

"Alright, when we get back to Cali, I'll hook you up." 

"Awesome! Thanks, Charlie." 

They share a hug and then separate, "You know, the more I think about it, the more things are starting to fall into place. I always wondered about Mal's apartment and how she could afford it, not to mention the never-ending supply of fresh kicks you are always sporting." 

"Guilty, but a girl's gotta have legit kicks in order to play her best on the pitch, and be styling off it, right?" 

"How about you hook me up with some of your legit kicks when we get back." 

"Maybe, if you're nice, I will." 

"Should I call Mal and tell her that you made me cry?" 

"She would laugh at you if you did." 

"She probably would. You still up for watching the Office with me?" 

"Totally!"

"Hey Charlie, does Finn know?"

"He does. He's actually responsible for designing the covers of my books and maintaining my webpage."

"Cool."

After watching some episodes of the Office, they both curl up for a well-deserved nap. Waking up to the alarm that serves as a reminder to Ashley that her newly-minted girlfriend, Jessie and her Canadian teammates are getting set to open the tournament with a match against Costa Rica. 

They set up Charlotte's laptop and click on the CONCACAF stream of the match, watching as Canadians come back from being down a goal at the end of the first half to defeat the Costa Rican's 3 - 1 on the back of two goals from Jordyn Huitema and another from Gabby Carle. 

Once the game finishes up they head downstairs to join their teammates for supper and some team bonding before calling it a night in advance of their game the following evening. 

Charlotte completes her nighttime routine and after dropping her dirty clothes, climbs under the covers and can't help but smile at her roommate as her and Jessie, Facetime before bed.

She collects her phone and pulls up Mal's contact before typing out a message

New Message

C.J.: Sorry, I didn't message sooner, had an eventful afternoon. Ash knows about my alter ego, she found the Revelation folder on my desktop. 

Mally: Told you that you should have renamed the folder. How did she take it?

C.J.: We've talked it through and I think that we are good, although I did promise to buy her a new board when we get back home. 

Mally: And? What else?

C.J.: Maybe a couple of pairs of new kicks as well. 

Mally: In other words, you are going on a shopping spree. 

C.J.: Probably. Anyways, how was your day? 

Mally: Good. Mom's chicken didn't taste as good as yours.

C.J.: That's because I added a special ingredient to mine - ❤️.

Mally: Well, I ❤️ U. 

C.J.: 💏🤗

Mally: 🥰

C.J.: U R my 🌎and I ❤️ U. I can't wait to have you back in my arms. 

Mally: Same. Soon, Baby. Time for you to get some 😴. We will talk tomorrow. ❤️U. 

C.J.: Sweet dreams, beautiful. 

Mally: Night, C.J.

Charlotte takes one last look at the screen before closing the app, smiling at the background picture on her phone and then ensuring that it is plugged in and ready for the morning.

"Night Ash, Night, Jessie." 

"Night, Charlie. Night." 

"Hey, Canada, don't keep her on the phone much longer, she's bear when she doesn't get enough sleep." 

"Trust me, I know all about it, Charlie."

Charlotte turns over and gets comfortable while Ash finishes her call with Jessie. 

"We should probably hang up now, Ashy, so you can sleep." 

"Yeah. Night, Jess." 

"Night, Ash."

Ashley plugs her phone in and turns to face Charlotte, "Hey, Charlie?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I understand the need to keep your real identity a secret, and don't worry, your secret is safe with me. You're my best friend and I've got your back." 

"Thanks, Ash, you have no idea how much that means to me." 

"Question - does Alana know?" 

Charlotte shakes her head, "No, but I think that I will tell her soon because I've come close to letting it slip out a few times already." 

"Sounds like a good idea. Do you ever plan on revealing it to everyone?" 

"I want to be able to finish school in relative anonymity and on my own merits, not based on how much is in my account. After I graduate, then it's a strong possibility." 

"Put me down for a front-row seat when you do." 

"That's a given. Night, Ash." 

"Night, Charlie." 


	61. Chapter 61

The next day, the players try to remain as chill as possible en route to Ato Boldon Stadium, most with their playlists in their ears while a few put their heads back and close their eyes, visualizing the game. 

Charlotte listens to her normal pre-game playlist and smiles when she sees a message come through on the screen.

New Message

Mally: Have a good game, Baby, love you ❤️

C.J.: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Once the bus pulls to a stop outside the stadium, the team is lead inside to their changeroom and begins the process of getting ready for their game against Nicaragua. 

The players get dressed and ready for warmups and then as the clock edges closer to game time, they follow out their keepers and Coaches as get themselves ready both physically and mentally for the game. 

With warmups concluded they head back inside and get changed into their game wear while listening to the final words of inspiration and direction from their Head Coach, Jitka.

When the clock on the wall hits 6:20 p.m. local time they make their way out and alongside their opposition walk onto the field, completing the obligatory pre-game ceremonies before heading to the sidelines to gather one last drink and a few words before kick-off. 

In what is expected to be a rather lopsided battle, the United States gain and maintain possession from the kickoff and almost immediately begin the process of testing the opposing defenders and keeper with their quick passes and attempts on goal. 

15 minutes into the game and the US continues to press Nicaragua but the opposing team is unable to keep pace and Savannah DeMelo sends a ball through the box, which Charlotte redirects past the keeper Nororis with a cheeky little toe tap and into the netting behind her. With the score no longer level, the US continues to run rampant around the opposition, but is unable to make any of their other first-half attempts on goal count and has to make do with only a one-goal lead at the break. 

Recharged from the intermission, the team in the sporting the fabled, Red, White and Blue takes only 8 minutes from the resumption of play to net their second marker of the game off the boot of Charlotte's Cardinal teammate, Civana Kuhlman. 

Ten minutes after their second goal is scored they begin to make their first round of substitutions and during a stoppage in play, Ashley makes way for another forward in the form of Abigail Kim and Charlotte and she try to continue the magic, but they don't have the same chemistry up top as her, Ash and Civanna do and when the game comes to a close the US settles with the 2 - 0 victory to start the tournament.

Once the game is over they complete a team cool down, grab some fluids and snacks in the changeroom and get changed into some comfies for the bus ride back to the hotel. 

Charlotte after feeling like she ran her ass off during the game puts her head back, Airpods in and listens to her music on the ride, almost falling asleep in the time it takes to make the half-hour trip. 

She wonders why some of the girls are laughing at her as they disembark the bus, and head upstairs to get cleaned up before having a team supper and soon finds out via Mal exactly what happened while her eyes were closed.

New Message

Mally: Good game, Babe. Are you aware that Ash posted some pictures of you sleeping on Insta?

C.J.: I wasn't, but now that I am, I might have to find a way to get back at her for them. 

Mally: Baby, they're cute. She added little bears and flowers around your head. 

C.J.: Really? Great, can't wait to hear what Lan has to say about that. 

Mally: I'm sure she has already saved the picture to taunt you with later. 

C.J.: Probably. My turn for the shower, love you, Babe.

Mally: Love you.

After having supper with their teammates, Charlotte heads up to their room to relax, while Ash sneaks away to the Canadian floor to visit her girlfriend for a short time before bed. 

Parked in front of her computer with her Airpods in listening to some tunes, Charlotte decides to pull up Revelation and once it opens on the screen she takes her fingers of the keyboard and reads what she has written so far. 

She moans and groans at the cringeyness of some of the scenes and with the realization that the book feels somewhat disjointed overall.

New Message

C.J.: Are you awake?

Kenz: Barely, what's up? Are you okay?

C.J.: I'm fine. Was just re-reading what I wrote so far for Revelation and it's just not flowing as the others did. I'm torn between wanting to start from scratch or totally ripping apart what's there already.

Kenz: That sucks, I thought that you were happy with what you had written so far.

C.J.: I was or thought I was, but now I'm not so sure. 

Kenz: I'm far from an expert on writing, but I'm pretty good at knowing you and your tendency to overthink everything. I think that perhaps you need to take a step back from writing at the moment and focus on what's around you. How about for the remainder of the tournament you focus on just playing and keeping up with your school stuff, Revelation will still be there when you get back and perhaps when you are less stressed it will flow better. 

C.J.: I guess I could do that. It's hard though because all I want to do is finish it and then get started on my other idea. 

Kenz: The serial killer one?

Charlotte laughs when she sees the words on the screen and responds

C.J.: Also known as a murder mystery. And yes, that one. 

Kenz: Then why don't you start to do some brainstorming about it and perhaps as you do, it will open up your mind and allow you to approach Revelation with a fresh mindset.

C.J.: Thanks, Kenz. Mal is probably gonna give me heck if she finds out that I'm now working on two books rather than just one. 

Kenz: Then don't tell her. 

C.J.: We don't keep secrets from each other. 

Kenz: Of course, you and your perfect girlfriend don't keep secrets. So, you still planning on making her your perfect fiancee soon or have you gotten cold feet?

C.J.: Sounds like someone needs to get laid 😉and no definitely no cold feet. Do you still want to come to Cali once Mal heads to camp and help me pick out a ring? 

Kenz: Can't wait. Have you figured out the when and where, yet?

C.J.: I have a few ideas bouncing around in my head, but I want to make it something that Mal and I will never forget. 

Kenz: Mal will say yes, no matter when, where or how you do it, so don't stress it too much. And as far as the second book, perhaps maybe hold off on telling her about it until you have something to work from and it's not just an idea floating around in your head. 

C.J.: That makes sense. Thanks, for being my voice of reason, Kenz. Love you and miss you. 

Kenz: Love you too little sister, and I'm proud of you. Now get some sleep!

C.J.: Night Kenz.

Looking at her phone and noticing the time, Charlotte sends a quick message to Ash telling her to get her butt back to the room before curfew before pulling up a fresh document and starting the process of jotting down some notes pertaining to her NASA and space-oriented book. 

Ashley returns with a smile on her face and Charlotte can only roll her eyes at her friend, "At least one of us is getting some action."

"I'm sure that when you get home, you and Pugh will waste very little time before getting busy."

Charlotte smiles and nods, "That's a given. I'm glad you and Jess have figured out where your heads and hearts are at." 

"Well, my head was between her legs a short time ago and my heart is quickly falling." 

"First off TMI! Secondly, let it happen and thirdly, get ready for bed because there will be a knock on the door anytime." 

Ashley laughs before collecting some comfies to get changed into and heading towards the bathroom to complete her nighttime routine. 

Charlotte and Ashley get comfy under the covers just in time for there to be a knock on the door and soon one of the Assistants pokes their head inside checks that they are accounted for, tells them good night and then heads on their way.

They plug in their phones, shut off the lamp and close their eyes. Laying in the dark, Charlotte can't turn her mind or thoughts off and decides to ask Ash her opinion on everything. 

"Hey, Ash?"

"Yeah?" She hears her roommate let out a yawn as she speaks. 

"Would you read a book or a series of books where the premise was that someone was taking out people related to NASA and the space program because they weren't chosen to be apart of it?"

"Taking out, as in killing or hurting them?" 

"Yeah."

"So, you're planning on going from books where you essentially saved the human race from being taken over by computers to writing ones where someone is killing people? Should I be concerned at all about this flop in the storyline or the fact that you are suddenly thinking about killing people?" 

Charlotte laughs, "I'm not actually planning on killing people just writing about it. I've always been fascinated by space and all aspects related to it and flight and I love murder mysteries, so why shouldn't I combine the two in a book? Also, it's not like The Known Universe was originally my idea, it was my Dads, I only made it come to life. This would be something completely my own." 

"What about Revelation?" 

"I'm struggling with completing it at the moment and I think that it needs to be put on the back burner if only for a temporary time, so I can clear the cobwebs out and I guess unblock myself." 

"Do you think it's a good idea to be splitting your focus and attention on writing while also trying to maintain your All-Academic standing and playing right now?" 

"Probably not, but at least while we're here you can keep me in line and once we're home, Mal can help keep me going until she needs to report to camp." 

"Do I get a portion of this future bestsellers' profits if I help you out?" 

"How about you get to continue to be my friend and we call it even." 

She hears Ashley laughing, "Alright, but just so you know, all future coffee's are on you." 

"Fine, I think I can handle that." 

"Good and for what it's worth I can't wait to read whatever you write next whether it be Revelation or this space, murder book thingy you are talking about." 

"Oh, I already have a possible name for it, wanna hear?" 

"D'uh, yeah." 

"I'm thinking about calling it, "One Small Step, Two Deaths." What do you think?" 

"I like it. We can talk more about it in the morning, I need to sleep now, I'm tired!"

"Yeah, I hear fraternizing with the enemy can do that to you." Charlotte giggles as she says it. 

"Hey, Charlie?" 

"Uh-huh,"

"It was totally worth it!" 

"I'll take your word for it and no that doesn't mean I want to hear any more about you and Canada's hotel room escapades." 

Ashley laughs, "Don't worry, I'll make sure and leave a sock on the door when we come back here." 

"No! You are not having sex in this room!" 

"Fine, then, I'll tell everyone about you and Mal's sexting and Facetiming adventures."

Charlotte waits for a second before responding, "Just keep your activities contained to your side of the room and bed, okay?" 

She hears Ashley laughs, "Do my best, but no guarantees. Night, Charlie."

"Night, Ash."


	62. Chapter 62

After watching the Canadian contingent led by Jordyn Huitema's three-goal effort knock off Trinidad and Tobago by a final score of 4 - 1 earlier on in the day, the American players try to allow themselves the time and space to get ready for their matchup against Jamaica the next evening, but most end up gathered around the television in the common room watching the NWSL Draft take place.

Charlotte watches on and cheers when to no one's surprise her former Stanford teammate and Captain, Andi Sullivan is chosen first overall by Mal's, Washington Spirit. She makes a point of sending Sulli a quick congratulations message as the players continue to make their way up onto the stage to receive their team scarf.

"One day that will be us up on the stage, right, Charlie?"

Charlotte smiles and nods, "I hope so, Sophia."

Once the draft is completed they go their separate ways with most of them just opting to head back up to their rooms.

"Hey Charlie, you are planning on playing in the NWSL, right? I mean, you know..." Ashley looks around and makes sure no one is within the hearing range, "with your other thing going on?"

"Yes, I do plan on playing in the NWSL, hopefully alongside Mal with the Spirit or whatever team she ends up playing for."

"What about you?"

"Oh hell, yeah; I'm aiming for top 5 overall!" Charlotte laughs, "I guess I better aim at being taken first overall or at least chose higher than you are because I will never hear the end up it otherwise will I?"

"Probably not." They laugh and playfully push each other as they make their way back to the hotel room.   
  
  


Ashley gathers up her bag once they are back in the room, "If you need me, I'll be with Jess."

"Have fun, but not too much fun."

Ashley laughs as she walks out the door and leaves Charlotte to her own devices.

Once she gets changed and completes her nighttime routine, she sends Mal a message.

New Message

C.J.: I'm all alone and lonely whatever should I do? 😈

She waits for Mal to type a response and instead is surprised when her phone rings instead, "Hey Baby, what's up?"

"As much as I'd like to help you not be lonely, I can't right now, Peyton is home for the weekend, so we're spending some time together."

"Oh, well, tell her I said hello, and enjoy your time together. I'm going to call it a night soon anyways, but before I go, I love you, Mally."

"I love you too, C.J. Sweet dreams."

"They will because you always consume them."

She hears Mal laugh on the other end, "Night, Baby. Talk tomorrow."

"Night."  
  
  


New Message

Charlie: Remind that girlfriend of yours not to be late for curfew.  
  


Charlotte pushes the send button and takes one last look at the picture of her and Mal that she keeps as her background, before plugging it in and laying her head on the pillow awaiting sleep taking hold of her.

She closes her eyes and smiles as visions of Mal bounce around her head until she finally succumbs to the quiet and darkness.

The next morning as the first alarm goes off, she turns over to shut it off and looks at Ashley still out cold in her own bed. She shakes her head before climbing out from under the covers and heading to the bathroom to complete her morning routine and then getting changed for breakfast and their team meeting.

As the second alarm goes off, she sits on her bed and lets it continue to beep until finally there is movement on the other side of the room.

"Get your ass up, I'm heading down to get something to eat."

"Can you bring me something?"

"No. You okay, Ash?"

"Just tired."

"Uh-huh, come on and get ready and I make you a plate up."

"Fine, I'll be there in a few." Ashley yawns as she says it.

Charlotte grabs her phone, card and slips on her shoes before heading out of the room and waiting for the elevator.

"Morning." Charlotte turns to face her teammates, Jaelin Howell and Zoe Morse, "Morning, you ready to kick some Jamaican booty tonight?"

They both laugh and nod as the doors open and they step inside for the ride down. Charlotte grabs two plates and dishes out food for both her and Ash before placing them down on a table and then going back to grab some juice and coffee.

As she retakes her seat, Tierna decides to sit across the table from her. "Where's your roomie?"

"Probably still in bed."

"Am not, I'm here." Ashley yawns as she sits down beside Charlotte and starts eating.

After they all finish eating and then sitting through a meeting they return to their rooms to chill out until it's time to get ready for the game.

Once they get there it takes no time for Ash to find her way back into her bed and under the covers, while Charlotte decides to put the finishing touches on one of her assignments before then turning her attention back to the bullet points and plot lines that she hopes to soon make into a novel.

She decides after playing around for a bit with it that it's probably time for her to shut down both her laptop and brain and try to relax before the game. 

A few hours later, as she waits for Ashley to finish packing up her go-bag, Charlotte scrolls through posts on Instagram and smiles when she sees a picture of Mal and her best friend, Peyton, hanging out together. She likes the picture and adds some hearts to show her love for it in the comments.

"You ready?"

Charlotte looks up at Ash, "Been ready and waiting for hours now, why so slow? Spending too much time with the enemy?"

"Shut up and let's go. And for your information, I was up late last night working on an assignment with Jess."

"Is that what all the cool kids are calling it, working on an assignment?"

"Charlie, we were really working on school stuff, can't fall behind, you know. By the way, do you think that you could read it over before I submit it and ensure that it makes sense?"

Charlotte nods, "Yep, after the game, I'll check it out."

"Thanks."

They take their preferred seats on the bus and put in their headphones, cranking the tunes for the 30-minute drive to the stadium in Courva.   
  
  


Once they arrive they complete their regular pre-game routines and await the Coaching staff's final words before they take to the field for the opening kickoff.

It takes until the 42nd minute of the game before the United States is able to get on the board when Sophia Smith finds the net and puts them up by a goal heading into the break.

The Reggae Girlz keep the US on their toes and don't allow them to control the pace of the match, breaking through the defence in the 88th minute of the game to tie the match up at one.

Charlotte looks over at Ashley and Sophia and the words need not be said as they know it's crunch time and they need to score, which they do when Charlotte finds space and lets a bullet fly bulging the netting behind the keeper and leading them to the last-minute victory.

Charlotte holds onto Ashley as she comes running towards her and jumps in her arms. "That was awesome!"

"Thanks, Ash; now let's finish this game out."

They head back and get set up for the restart, playing keep away until the referee blows the final whistle to end the match.

Once the final whistle sounds out they celebrate the victory but know that there is still lots of work ahead of them.

Returning to the hotel, the players are a lot quieter on the ride than usual, aware that they were extremely lucky to come away with the points on the day and remain on top of their group.   
  
  


They head upstairs to get cleaned up, before having a team meal and then being dismissed for the remainder of the evening.

Charlotte lays down on her bed and looks over at her roommate who is doing the same on her own bed, "You not going visiting?"

"Nah, Jess is coming here tonight, if that's okay. Jordyn kinda got upset with her for keeping her up and interrupting a call with Alphonso."

Charlotte laughs, "It's fine, just keep your clothes on. I'm going to go for a walk down to the lobby and check-in with Mal."

"You could stay here and do that, you know."

"And have to deal with you making kissing and sucking noises in the background again? Not a chance. I'll be back shortly."

Ashley laughs and nods in response as she presumably continues to message her girlfriend.   
  
  


Charlotte waits for the elevator and then rides down to the lobby, finding a comfy chair off to the side and then putting in her headphones, before calling Mal.

"Ring, ring"

"Hey Babe, how was your game?"

"We won, but definitely didn't play like we deserved to. Our passes weren't crisp, and we just didn't seem to be on the same page tonight."

"Babe, relax. You know how things get when you start overthinking, so chill out!"

Charlotte laughs, "It would be a lot easier to chill out if you were here with me."

"Then we wouldn't be chilling, we'd be getting hot and heavy in the sheets."

"Sounds like heaven to me right now."

"10 days and we'll be back together."

"10 long days. Anyways, change of topic how was hanging out with Peyton?"

"Fun, but not long enough as she had to get back for school."

"That's too bad, but I'm sure she will come and watch you play during the season."

"Yeah, she promised that she would. So, what are you wearing?"

"A comfy lounge chair in the hotel lobby, how about you?"

"Your sweatshirt. I need another one, this one doesn't smell like you anymore."

"I'll make sure to hook you up when we see each other."

"Please." Charlotte smiles knowing full well that Mal is saying it with her cute little pout face on full display.

"I will, so how's your training been going?"

"Pretty good, can't wait to actually play with a full side though."

"I'm sure the girls will welcome you into our sessions when we get back."

"I'm counting on it. Babe, isn't kinda late where you are?"

Charlotte looks at the time on her phone and starts walking back to the elevator, "I can still walk and talk for a bit; even hearing just your voice calms me and makes me happy. Not to mention, Ash and Jess are currently without adult supervision in the room and I'm not overly keen on walking in on anything."

She hears Mal burst out laughing on the other end, "Are you jealous of the fact that Ash is getting some and you're not?"

Charlotte rolls her eyes and shakes her head before responding, "Maybe a little, but don't tell her that!"

"Babe, just be happy for her and remember how grumpy and sad she was when she and Jess weren't speaking."

"I get it, I just really miss you."

"I miss you, too. Are you back to your room yet?"

Charlotte looks at the room door, "Outside of it."

"Just go in."

Charlotte slides her card in and out and when it lights up green she opens the door. The room is quiet when she walks inside and she finds Ashley out cold on the bed and Jessie in the process of tucking her in. She watches the Canadian lean down and kiss her friend on the forehead before sliding her shoes on and walking towards her.

"Hey, Charlie?"

"Yeah, Jess?"

"Can you let her know that I'll call her in the morning?"

Charlotte nods, "Hey, Jess?"

Jessie looks back at her, "Thank you for looking after her."

Jessie smiles, "I love her, you know?"

Charlotte smiles, "She loves you, too, and when the time is right she will tell you."

Jessie nods, "Goodnight, Charlie and thanks."

Charlotte smiles, "Night, Jess. Good luck tomorrow."

Charlotte ensures the door is locked after Jessie leaves and then remembers she still has Mal on the phone in her hand.

"Mal? Mally?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

"Sweet dreams, beautiful."

"Night, C.J."

Charlotte blows her a kiss and listens to her laugh before they finally end their conversation and she completes her nighttime routine before getting comfy under the covers.


	63. Chapter 63

After having breakfast together and then doing some sightseeing as a group, the US players are given the remainder of the day off to recover and enjoy some chill time during the busy tournament schedule.

After checking in with Mal and her Mom, Charlotte gets changed and heads down to join a large group of her teammates sitting in loungers poolside.

Laying back with her eyes closed she is enjoying the moment, listening to the girls laughing and splashing in the pool while others listen to the blasting music and have conversations.   
  
  


"Yo Charlie! I need a partner for volleyball."

"Make a friend, Sanchez, I'm busy."

She hears laughing and then screams out as water is dumped on her, "I'm gonna kill you, Ash!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" Charlotte chases after her and they both eventually end up jumping in the pool, splashing each other. Eventually, they join forces and dominate the volleyball game, at least in their heads they do; in reality, not so much.

Sitting back down and allowing the rays of sunshine to dry them off, Charlotte and Ashley down their bottles of water along with a plate of food poolside.

"Feels so good to have a day off."

"Definitely, my body and mind were needing it. Ash, can I ask your advice on something?"

"That depends if it's school-related, not a chance that's more your area than mine."

"It's not about school. I have all these ideas bouncing around in my head about the how, when and where I should propose to Mal and I can't decide what I really should do. I want it to be something special and that she will never forget, but I don't know where to start."

"Do you guys have anywhere special you like to go together?"

"Not really, we're both kinda homebodies. I need there to be a WOW factor and not just wow, you know?"

"I get it, but, you do realize she will say yes, no matter how you do it." 

"I know, it's just I need it to be perfect."

"Mal's going to be heading back to Washington soon, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Charlotte looks down at her hands.

"Is there someplace there, that you could pop the question? Maybe someplace that means something to you guys?"

"Possibly, I'll have to do some serious thinking about it though. But, ooooo, I do know something."

Charlotte stands up and takes off leaving Ashley behind mumbling to herself, "Thanks for the help, Ash." "You're welcome, Charlie."  
  
  


Ashley hears laughing and realizes that she has been caught talking to herself in front of her girlfriend.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I just came to check on you before we left for our game. You weren't answering your phone. Should I be concerned that you are talking to yourself?"

"No, I'm fine. Charlie just left me hanging. Let me grab my stuff and I'll walk with you out."

They duck into a corner in the hallway and share a quick kiss before, Jessie joins her Canadian teammates and boards their bus.

Ashley waits until the bus departs before catching the elevator back up to the US floor and then walking down the hallway back to her and Charlotte's room.

Opening the door, she finds Charlotte with her head buried in her computer and talking to someone on the phone, she overhears the words "Ring Pop" and is drawn into the conversation.

"No Kenz, I'm not proposing with an actual Ring Pop, I want to put the real ring inside a Ring Pop case that opens up."

"Yes, I know. I don't care, find someone to make me it; oh and it needs to be Red, like a Strawberry one." 

"Okay, thanks. Love you, too, bye Kenz."   
  
  


Charlotte puts her phone down and looks over at Ashley, "Sorry for taking off on you, I kinda had a brainwave and needed to deal with it right away."

"It's okay. So, you're proposing with a Ring Pop? That's the gist I got from the conversation."

Charlotte laughs and shakes her head, "Mal and I had a conversation before and joked about me proposing with a Ring Pop and if she'd say yes; I intend to find out. You know on TV when they show the guy pulling out a ring box and then getting down on one knee, opening to box up to show the sparkler off and then asking? Well, I want to have a little fun with Mal and rather than her engagement ring being in a box, I want a Ring Pop that opens up to reveal it. Do you get what I mean?"

Ashley looks at her and Charlotte turns her computer around to show her a picture.

"I want something like this."

"You're serious?"

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Yep. Now, I just need to find the ring to go inside and decide when and where it's all going to happen."

"God, I hope I never have to do the proposing, because it seems like a lot of work!"

"Yeah, but when you find the right person, it doesn't matter how much work is involved in it, you just do it because you know that the end result will more than make up for it."

Charlotte stands up and grabs some clothes, "I'm going to grab a quick shower, when I'm done I'll look over that assignment that you wanted me to, okay?"

"Sounds good."  
  
  


Later on, they settle in and watch the stream of the Canada and Haiti match. Ashley cheers on her UCLA teammate, Shana Flynn as she knocks out a hat trick within the first 20 minutes of the game.

The remainder of the match is pretty boring and with Tanya Boychuk scoring in the 81st minute, the Canadians easily defeat their opponents by a final score of 4 - 0. With the victory, Canada locks up first place in their group and advances to the Semi-Finals along with Haiti, who finishes second in the group.

Shutting down the laptop, Charlotte and Ashley head down to grab some food with their teammates before engaging in some team bonding activities until it's curfew time.   
  
  


The next afternoon, the United States plays Mexico in their final game of the group stage and comes away with a 2 -1 victory on the back of goals from Abigail Kim and Ashley, with Charlotte drawing an assist on the second goal. The victory allows the US to finish out the group stage in the first place and advance to the Semi-Finals.

With three days before the Semis take place, the players are finally able to take some time to enjoy the sights and sounds of the surrounding area and make the most of it, by going hiking, exploring, trying some of the local delicacies and taking in some water sports.

The next day, the team has a training session and puts the work in, in hopes of being prepared for anything and everything including the possibility of penalty shoot-outs, with the Semi-Final matches going straight to kicks rather than playing extra time. Each player has their opportunity to show what they can do, should the situation arise and the Coaches make notes as to who they feel are the most comfortable and capable.

Each of the goalkeepers stands on the line, alternating between shooters and waits for their teammates to fire away on them. Charlotte steps up and places the ball down in front of her, looking at Amanda in goal as she takes a few steps backwards and decides her shot.

The whistle sounds out and she wastes no time in sending the ball to the netting before jogging back to join the line behind Tierna.

"Alright, hands up those of you who want to be first up to the spot?"

Charlotte puts up her hand as do most of the other girls.

"Good that's what I like to see. Now, let's finish out with a cool down before we head back to the hotel and have some lunch."

They follow the Coaches through their cool down and stretching before swapping out their cleats and socks for slides or shoes and then grabbing some fluids for the ride back.   
  
  


Back at the hotel, they alternate grabbing showers and getting dressed prior to heading down to have lunch.

While they eat the room is filled with chimes, beeps and buzzes as most of the players text their loved ones.   
  
  


With lunchtime over, they go their separate ways once more, "You wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure, why not."

"Can Jess join us? She's going kinda stir crazy in her room."

"Send her a message, she's welcome to join, if she sneaks us in some snacks."

Ashley laughs, "Chips?"

Charlotte nods, "Yes, please."

"Alright, I'll tell her."

Ashley types out a message to her girlfriend with the request and gets one back.

"Um, Jess wants to know if it's okay for Jordyn to join us as well, I guess her and Alfonso had a disagreement earlier and she's kinda down."

"How about we see if we can commandeer the common room and then invite whoever wants to join to come and chill and watch something."

"That works."

Charlotte and Ashley head back to the common room and ask the few girls that are there if it's okay to invite others to join so they can all hang and watch a movie together.

Soon the room begins to fill up with pillows, blankets and soccer players from both the Canadian and American teams.

"What are we watching?"

Charlotte looks over at the Canadian player who asked, "Wonder Woman?"

"Yaaasss Gal is awesome!!"

"Everyone good with Wonder Woman?"

Most of the players nod in agreement, so they get it set up to play on the screen. With the lights down the room becomes quiet except for the sounds coming from the movie until the fighting starts and then voices and catcalls bounce around the room.

As the credits roll on the screen and lights are turned back on, the players begin to intermingle and chat amongst themselves, unaware that their Coaches are standing in the doorway watching on and smiling at the current events.

Players begin to leave the room as it gets later, while Charlotte, Ashley, Jessie, Jordyn and Tierna sit on the couch and floor and talk about school, soccer, relationships and everything else under the sun.

Tierna noticing the time suggests that they all head up to their rooms before they are late for room check.

Charlotte hugs Jordyn and Jessie before heading to the elevator with Tierna.

"Hey T, is it just me or does Jordyn smell really good?"

"It's not just you."

Charlotte smiles and laughs at her teammate's response.

"So, Ash and Jessie, huh?"

"How did you?"

"Gay, not blind and they were snuggled pretty close to each other during the movie."

"Do you think others picked up on it? I know they don't want to be public with their relationship."

"A few of the girls were looking and making comments on it, but most of them were just with regards to them being friends and teammates at UCLA."

"Good, let's keep it that way. None of us need any additional distractions at the moment, especially me."

"Everything okay with you, Charlie?"

"Yeah, just miss Mal and my family. Talking with them on the phone or online just isn't the same."

"I know the feeling, I miss A.J., but we've only got a few days left here and hopefully we'll be heading back to Stanford with a medal around our neck."

"A medal would definitely be nice. Anyways, have a good night T, see you in the morning."

"Later, Charlie."

Charlotte completes her routine and then climbs under the covers, watching some television while she waits for Ash to return.

New Message

Kenz: Found someone to make the ring holder, but it will take 6 - 8 weeks to arrive.

C.J.: That's fine, go ahead and place the order. Thanks, Kenz.

Kenz: Any luck with Revelation?

C.J.: No, I did like you suggested and put it off to the side for now. I've got a rough plotline and character outlines done so far on my other project.

Kenz: Okay, just so you know, the publishers are starting to get a bit antsy about Revelation.

C.J.: Seriously? Tell them they will get it when I'm satisfied, with it and not before.

Kenz: Already relayed that message to them. I'm just glad that your other three books are on the New York Time's bestseller list as it makes it much easier to justify your need to take your time.

C.J.: You haven't mentioned to anyone about my other book idea, right?

Kenz: No and don't worry I don't plan on unless you tell me that it's okay too.

C.J.: My current deal with the publishers only covers The Known Universe books.

Kenz: I know, which means that there will be room to renegotiate for future books should Revelation fly off the shelves as the others have.

C.J.: No pressure there.

Kenz: Sorry, but it's the truth. It's always about the numbers and bottom line with these corporate people.

C.J.: I get it. How is everything else going?

Kenz: I went on a date last night and it wasn't a total disaster, so that's good.

C.J.: Really? I need deets?

Kenz: Nothing big, we had supper together and then played a couple of games of pool.

C.J.: Let me guess, he let you win?

Kenz: No, actually he didn't, which is why I agreed to go out with him again. That and the fact that he's totally cute.

C.J.: Use protection, I'm not ready to be an Aunt, yet.

Kenz: Don't worry, we will. Now, get to bed!

C.J.: I'm already under the covers. Just waiting for Ash to return.

Kenz: Where is she?

C.J.: Going to assume she is currently shoving her tongue down her girlfriend's throat.

Kenz: Wait! What? Girlfriend?

C.J.: Gotta walk my laptop, night Kenz. Love you.

Kenz: Love you, too.

Charlotte looks at the time on her phone and decides to call Ashley to check her whereabouts. She hears a familiar ringtone as the door opens and her previously MIA roomie returns sporting a smile and a noticeable mark on her neck.

"I'm not even going to ask, night, Ash."


	64. Chapter 64

Drawing the early match, the United States players sit in the changing room at Couva Stadium, listening in to the Coaches instructions as they await the signal to head back out to the field and begin the match. 

Charlotte looks around the room at her teammates and smiles through her nerves. She grabs one last drink before they stand up and begin to line up for their Semi-Final against Haiti. 

Once the pregame festivities are complete and sides are chosen, the players make their way on to the field, take their positions and wait for the opening whistle. 

The teams play a tight match, with the Americans being stifled by the Haitian defenders and unable to mount any real form of attack in the first half. They manage to get a few balls in but none meet the target and the head in for the half, knotted at zeroes. 

The second half begins very much the same as the first half ended with neither team taking control and content to play level. As the clock begins to wind down, substitutions are made and Charlotte can't help but feel disappointed watching Ashley being pulled from the front line in favour of the fresh legs of Sophia Smith. 

With an injured player receiving treatment for Haiti, Charlotte calls over some of the girls and lets them know that they need to continue to press the right side as the defenders are looking tired. 

As they reset, Zoe steps up behind the ball and once the whistle sounds out sends the ball down the right side, where it's directed out of play by one of the Haitian players, resulting in a throw-in. 

They get ready and as the ball returns to play, Charlotte who is positioned towards the top of the 18-yard box gets the ball and rather than passing it off to Abi, sees an opening and sends it through space where Sophia is able to outpace the tired defender. She gets a low shot off, but a foot gets to it before it reaches the keeper and directs it back out. Charlotte sees a streak of blue connect on a one-timer and then screams as it hits the netting behind the prone keeper. 

She looks over and sees Jaelin being swarmed by their teammates and knows who is responsible for bringing life back into the squad and game. Running over she hugs her teammate as they make their way back for the restart. 

With the surge in confidence, the United States plays up to its capability and begins to send more frequent shots on target, looking to seal the victory. Despite their attempts, they are unable to find the netting for a second time and as the clock hits the end of regular time, they know they are minutes away from heading to the final. 

Haiti knowing this launches a last-minute assault and is able to capitalize on a sloppy clearance by the Americans and tie up the game in the second minute of added time. 

When the final whistle sounds out, the teams are deadlocked at one goal apiece and headed to a penalty shoot-out to determine who advances. 

The teams convene on the sidelines and choose their shooters while the keepers are reminded of the rules by the referee. 

"Alright, Sophia you're up first, then Charlie, Jaelin and Zoe, Tierna you're up fifth if we need you. Everyone good with that?" 

They all nod, and assemble for one last cheer before making the walk as a team out to the centre of the field and lining up. 

With a coin flip, it's decided that the United States will shoot first and Sophia makes the jog to the spot, picking up the ball and then setting it back down. She backs up and gets set and as she makes contact, it's directly at the keeper and makes for an easy save. 

Sophia hangs her head as she makes the lonely jog back to her teammates, who embrace and reassure her. 

The first shooter steps up for Haiti and mishits the ball sending it wide. 

Charlotte takes a couple of deep breaths before she makes the jog to the spot. She lets out a slight smile when the whistle sounds and she sends the keeper in the opposite direction before bulging the netting behind her. She runs back to her teammates and is swarmed.

The next shooter for Haiti sends a soft attempt resulting in an easy save for the American keeper. 

Taryn Torres steps up for the United States and put them up by two goals. The third shooter for Haiti steps up with all the pressure squarely on her shoulders, needing to score. She sends the ball wide and with one more goal, the United States can end the shoot out and proceed to the Final. 

Zoe steps up and sends a hardball just out of the keepers reach to the right side and sends the United States to the Final. 

They celebrate their victory and shake hands with the opposition, before gathering around their Coaches for their last words. 

Charlotte looks up and smiles before nudging Ash beside her and motioning for her to look up. Ash looks up and smiles as she sees Jessie standing there along with her Canadian teammates. Jessie offers a little wave to her before following her teammates out of the stands and down to the changeroom to start getting ready for their Semi-Final match against Mexico.

After completing their cool down, the United States climbs back on board the bus to make the drive back to the hotel, to get cleaned up and get something to eat. 

"Charlie, can you find a stream or something so we can see how Canada is doing?" 

"Go shower and I'll see what I can do." 

Charlotte laughs as she hears the shower turn on and then collects her laptop to find the CONCACAF website and then clicks on the link to stream the game that is just starting. 

She lays there and watches as she messages, Mal.

New Message

C.J.: Hey beautiful, I miss you. 

Mally: Good game. Just heading out for a session with Linds, I'll call you when I get back. ❤️ 

C.J.: Have fun getting your sweat on, which I was there to see it and wash your back afterwards. 😘😏😛

Mally: Lol, you're insatiable. 

C.J.: Only when it comes to you or making you come. 😉 

Mally: Perhaps you should make your roommate disappear for a little while later then.

C.J.: On it. ❤️

Ash walks out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around herself and drying her hair, "Ash, I don't care where you go but you need to clear the room later."

She hears laughing, "Let me guess, you finally convinced Mal to engage in some show and tell; seriously, about time because you're really grumpy." 

Charlotte picks up her pillow and throws it at her roommate who catches it while dropping her towel. 

Charlotte gives her a once over and smiles, "Not bad, but Mal's got more definition." 

Ash throws the pillow back at her, "Go shower, you're stinking up the place!"

"Yeah, well, at least one of us played the full ninety." 

Charlotte grabs her clothes from the dresser and then heads into the bathroom before Ash hits her with another comeback. 

As she comes out of the bathroom, she hears Ash yell at the screen and assumes that Mexico has scored. 

She puts her stuff down, brushes out her hair and then pulls it up into a tail, "What's the score?" 

"Mexico just scored, so it's 1 - 0. Canada isn't playing very well and Jessie is on the bench." 

The first half of the Canada / Mexico game reaches the halfway point and there's a knock on their door. Charlotte gets up to see who it is and opens the door to find one of the trainers coming to check on them. 

"What's up?" 

"You didn't come down for supper, so I was sent to come and check on the two of you." 

"Crap! We got into the game and lost track of time. We'll be right down." 

"Bring the laptop and you can finish watching while you eat, but, if Jitka says anything about it, I know nothing." 

Charlotte laughs, "Deal. Thanks." 

"Ash, we gotta go for supper." 

"But the game.."

"Bring the laptop and you can watch your girl while we eat." 

Ashley smiles and grabs everything she needs as does Charlotte before they head down and find a table close to a power outlet, so they can plug in and watch the second half. 

"Yes! Finally!" Ash cheers when Gabby Carle ties the game at one in the 80th minute of the match. 

"Sanchez quit cheering for the enemy; you do realize that we're playing whoever wins, right?" 

Ashley shrugs and continues to watch as the group around her and Charlotte becomes larger with most of the players now invested in the outcome.

"Shoot out!" 

The Canadians start out solid in the shootout with Ariel Young, Emma Regan and Carle all earning the check, but Mexico keeps it close finding the net on two out of their first three attempts. 

Julia Grosso steps up for the team in Red and is unable to convert on her shot. Jimena Lopez steps up and makes no mistake tying it up at 3's. 

Jordyn Huitema, the leading scorer of the tournament and future Canadian superstar, steps up behind the ball, dropping to her knees when she sees her shot ding off the post behind a cleanly beaten Mexican keeper. She stands back up and makes the job back with tears visibly running down her face. 

"Damn, Jordy." 

Mexico runs and celebrates in the background as their final shooter finds the netting and sends them through to the Final against the United States in two days' time.

"I hate shoot outs!" 

The American players gather up their belongings before dispersing in different directions. 

Ashley feels arms wrap around her and knows it's Charlotte. "Thanks." 

"Let's head up to the room and I'm sure that Jess will message you when they get back." 

"Yeah. Can you look at my assignment before I submit it, I meant to ask earlier and kinda forgot." 

"When you make All-Academic this term, I'm taking the credit for it." 

"Sure." 

Charlotte wraps her arm around her friend, "I know that you are disappointed for Jess right now, but, you need to focus on staying in a good headspace because we are headed to the Final and we need you at your best. Not to mention crying isn't a very good look for you Sanchez and really you need all the help you can get in that department." 

She laughs when Ashley pushes her away. 

"Come on, I snuck some treats into the room from our meeting earlier."

"Any chocolate?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Yep." 

They head up to the room and enjoy a little cheat session while reviewing Ashley's assignment and then submitting it along with Charlotte polishing off on of her own and sending it on it's way to California. 

Ashley checks her phone once more to see if she has missed a message from Jessie but finds nothing. She watches Charlotte typing away on her computer. 

"What are you working on?"

"Just laying some more groundwork for the new book and possible series. Currently trying to come up with some character names, got any suggestions?" 

"Do I get anything if you use them?" 

"A copy of the book when and if it comes out and my gratitude?" 

"I guess that'll do, provided you autograph the book so I can sell it for bank later." 

"I take it back, you get nothing, now." Charlotte smiles at her as she says it. 

"Then I'm not helping." 

"Seriously, though what have you got for me, Ash?" 

"Can you create a character around me?" 

"I have a couple of FBI Agents that I haven't named yet, perhaps I will name one Ashley, Ashley ... Riggs? Agent Ashley Riggs, what do you think?" 

"Yes!! Totally!" 

"Just an FYI you're sleeping with your married partner, who is a male." 

"Can't it be a hot woman agent instead?" 

Charlotte shakes her head, "Nope, needs to be a man in order for the storyline to work." 

"Okay, so what's my partner/lover's name going to be?"

"I was thinking about Richard aka Rick Stone." 

"He sounds like a complete douche." 

"That's the point. Agents Riggs and Stone, I like it. Thanks for the help, Ash." 

"I really didn't do anything." 

"Yeah, actually you did; it's nice to be able to talk openly about what I'm doing rather than hiding it." 

Ashley's phone buzzes and she looks at the screen, "It's Jessie, I'm going to head to her room for a bit. Enjoy your Mal, time." She smiles as she makes her way out of the room. 

Charlotte plugs her headphones into her phone and then calls up Mal. 

"Hey, babe. what's up?" 

"Not much, just working on something." 

"Something? As in Revelation?" 

"Umm, no, actually, another book that I am starting to write." 

"C.J. you promised me that you would stay focused on your schoolwork and playing, not writing." 

"I know, but, I hit a wall with Revelation and then, "One Small Step, Two Deaths," started to form in my brain." 

"Please tell me that you are at least on top of your school stuff?" 

"Of course, I am, and then some, even been helping Ash with her stuff. It's all good, Baby, I promise." 

"Just don't overdo it, okay?" 

"I won't, I promise. Now, are you alone?" 

Mal laughs, "I am, are you?" 

"I am. What are you wearing?" 

"Nothing but a smile, but I was just about to have a bath." 

"Damn, Mal, you don't play fair." 

"How about if I Facetime you and you can watch?" 

"Yes, please!" 

"Okay. I'll call you back in a few." 

Charlotte nods before realizing that Mal can't see her doing it, "Okay." 

As she waits for Mal's return call, she quickly sheds her clothing and climbs under the covers. When the phone sounds out she answers and then watches as Mal puts on a show of propping the phone up while she removes her robe and then climbs in the hot, steaming bubbly water. 

She watches Mal wash as she touches and rubs herself to an orgasm. Laying there with a smile, she watches on as Mal dries off and realizes just how gorgeous her girlfriend really is and how she can wait to make Mal, her fiancée. 


	65. Chapter 65

"Damn it!" Ashley yells out. 

Charlotte pokes her out from the bathroom where she is currently getting changed, "Haiti score?" 

"Yeah, 18 minutes in and the defenders basically gift-wrapped it for her." 

"I'm sure Canada will mount a comeback, they've got plenty of talent on the field and Jordyn has been on fire this tournament." 

"You do realize that only the winner advances to the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, right? 4th place isn't good enough to qualify." 

"In that case, let's go, Canada!"

A little while later as they arrive at the stadium and sit in the change room finishing getting dressed, they chat.

"I can't believe that Canada lost to Haiti." Charlotte looks at her best friend as she absorbs the news, "We need to focus on our game now, Ash; we can't change what already happened." 

"I know, I get it, it just sucks, that's all." 

"How about we get out there and show Canada how it's supposed to done and win this?" 

Ashley smiles, "Let's do it, Cardinal." 

Charlotte laughs and shakes her head, "Never gonna let that go are you?" 

Ashley shakes her head, "Not a chance." 

Charlotte smiles, "Then let's get at it, Bruin."

With their warmups complete the teams head back inside to get changed over into their game kits and listen to their Coaches' last words before lining up and then making the walkout alongside their Mexican counterparts.

As the opening whistle is blown, the teams feel each other out and exchange possession and a few changes, none meeting their target. 

The United States is stunned when Mexico draws first blood, scoring in the 33rd minute of play off a set play that the US defenders are unable to clear from the box. 

As the referee blows her whistle to end the first period of the match, the US trails their counterparts by the same 1 - 0 score. 

After many words of encouragement and direction from the Coaches during the break-in play they gather around the sideline prior to taking the field for the second half, Charlotte tries to offer up some words of inspiration and provide her teammates with a much-needed kick in the butt as they all are seemingly dragging and lacking motivation.

"Plenty of time left on the clock, we got this; now, let's get out there and fucking bring it home, girls!" 

She hears laughs around her and then cheers as they make their way back on to the field for the second half. 

It's imperative that they come out flying and level the score if they have any chance of winning and Charlotte is willing to do whatever it takes to provide the necessary spark. Off the restart, she takes off down the field, mindful of staying onside and awaits the long ball from her Stanford teammate Tierna, who knows this play. She doesn't have to wait long as Tierna gets the ball at her feet and sends the ball beyond the Mexican backline, bringing the keeper out to challenge as Charlotte turns on the jets, getting to the ball first and then chipping it over the keeper and watching it bounce into the netting behind her. 

She screams and assuming that Mal is watching the game back home, she taps her hand over her heart before running into her teammate's arms and celebrating. 

"Show off!" 

"Jealous, much, Sanchez?"

She and Ash laugh as they jog back for the restart.

The game becomes physical and with the referee dishing out some cards to both sides. 

In the 75th minute, Charlotte goes for another run with the ball only to have her legs taken out from under her and she goes down hard on her back and hip. She lays on the field, rubbing her backside and tries to catch her breath as her teammates yell at the referee demanding the player be given a card, which does come out eventually but only a yellow one much to the United States's chagrin. 

The trainer comes running over to Charlotte as she lays on the ground, "How are you feeling?" 

"Like I just got taken out by a truck, I'll be okay, just need to catch my breath."

"Can you get up?" 

"Think so." The trainer reaches down and helps her stand up as she winces, "You good?" 

"My back doesn't feel so good."

"You okay to walk?" 

Charlotte nods and then follows the trainer over to the sidelines and he checks her out, I'm gonna spray your back and hip, because I know there's no way you are going to let me pull you, right?" 

"Not a chance, I need to get back out there." 

She waits for the referee's signal before rejoining play and immediately sends a shot just wide of the target. 

The last few minutes of regular time run out and the referee blows the final whistle with the teams still knotted at one goal apiece. 

Charlotte slowly jogs over to the sidelines and grabs some water as they discuss extra time. 

The trainer noticing that she isn't moving as she usually does checks in with her, "I'm still not coming out." 

He laughs, "Fine, let's get you stretched out and see if that helps any." 

She follows his directions and soon finds her back loosening up and as she twists, she feels a pop. 

"Now, that feels better."

Charlotte stands back up and rejoins her teammates. 

"Good to go, superstar?" Charlotte looks up at her teammates, smiles and nods.

Both teams have chances in the periods of extra time, but neither is able to capitalize and the US finds themselves in the familiar position of once again choosing shooters for a shoot out.

"Alright, Brianna, Tierna, Kiara, Charlie and Ash, you're our first five."

On the referees signal, the teams make their way back on to the field and line up arms wrapped around each other. 

Mexico starts out first and makes it count, Brianna Pinto makes the jog to the spot for the State's first shot and is unable to covert her opportunity, putting the US at a disadvantage as the second shooter for Mexico approaches the ball. They breathe a sigh of relief as the second shooter sends the ball within reach of their keeper and she is able to knock it safely away and keep them in it. 

Tierna takes her place and sends a left-footed shot low and inside the post to bring them back to even after two rounds of shooters.

Kiara steps up trying to keep them in it after the previous Mexican shooter made no mistake. Her nerves get to her and she doesn't get enough behind the ball to trouble the keeper as the ball hits her directly in the chest. 

Charlotte then watches on as the next shooter for Mexico confidently makes the run to the spot and closes her eyes willing her to miss, but when she hears cheering she knows it isn't from her teammates. 

"C'mon, Charlie; you got this!" She makes the jog as her teammates yell words of encouragement behind her. Picking up the ball and then setting it back down before backing up to the side. She takes a deep breath and awaits the signal, before running full speed and sending a laser to the netting. She turns and looks at her teammates knowing that she has down everything in her power to keep them in it and can only hope that the next shooter in green misses the goal so that Ash can bring it home for them. 

They wrap their arms tightly around each other and pray for the shooter to miss her target or for their keeper to come up big and keep them in it. Unfortunately, it's not meant to be as the shooter, Cruz, wastes no time in burying her chance and giving Mexico the Championship. 

The members of the US team, hold each other as the tears run freely down their faces and they try and swallow the bitter pill of defeat. The fact that they've already qualified for the U-20 Women's World Cup on the basis of simply qualifying for the final, all but forgotten, in the moment.

As the individual and team awards are given out, they put on a brave face and acknowledge the hard work and determination that the other countries and players have put forth over the past couple of weeks. 

Charlotte smile and claps as Jordyn is called up to receive the Golden Boot Award as the tournament's leading scorer. She finds her name on the list as part of the Best XI along with Kiara and Jaelin. 

They receive their medals for finishing second and then watch on as Mexico celebrates with the trophy before heading into the change room and letting their full emotions out.

Eventually, they get changed and make their way out to the bus, sitting in quiet for the drive back to the hotel. 

After getting cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes, Charlotte heads out of the hotel room and down to the trainer's room. She knocks on the door and when it's answered explains that she is still experiencing some tightness in her lower back. 

She spends the next little while being stretched out and massaged before almost falling asleep on the table. 

"Feel better?" 

Charlotte yawns as her tummy lets out a rumble, "Much, thank you. Guess I should get something to eat now." 

"Make sure to hydrate as well."

Charlotte nods and then heads to the team room to grab something to eat. When she notices that some of the girls have ice cream.

"Kiara, where did you get that?" 

"There is a place around the corner from here." 

"How did I not know that? We've been here for two weeks and on the eve of our departure you find ice cream." 

Kiara looks at her and shrugs while she continues to eat the treat. 

Charlotte digs in her pocket hoping that she has enough money left to pay for a scoop. She finds only change and a US $5 bill. Making the short walk in the direction that Kiara mentioned she soon finds the place and approaches the counter, "Can I pay in American money? I'm not sure I have enough change."

The man behind the counter smiles as he watches her take out the money and count it, "Are you a part of the US team?"

She nods, "Yeah, we lost in the final." 

He nods knowingly, "You look like you could use a pick me up, this one's on me." 

"Are you sure?"

He nods and grabs a waffle cone, depositing a scoop in it before handing it to her. 

Charlotte licks it, "This is so good; I really feel as though I should give you something for it." 

"Do you know any jokes?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods. "Did you hear about the claustrophobic astronaut?" 

The man looks at her and shakes his head, "No." 

"He just needed a little space." 

The man behind the counter lets out a laugh, "That was pretty good, have a good evening and enjoy the ice cream." 

"I will, thanks again." 

Charlotte makes her way back to the hotel, now in a better mood than she was earlier. She isn't at all surprised when she finds the hotel room empty and takes advantage of the quiet to finish her ice cream and then get comfy watching a movie. 

New Message

Mally: You okay? 

C.J.: Yeah, disappointed though. 

Mally: Baby, you did what you could. How's the back, it looked like you went down hard. Also, I saw what you did, I'm assuming that was directed towards me. 

C.J.: Did some stretching and got a massage, feels a lot better. Got a nasty looking bruise forming on my butt though and yes it was for you.

Mally: I want to say something about the bruise, but honestly I can't think of anything appropriate and I thought so, it was sweet.

C.J.: Appropriate, huh? If you don't mind, Babe, I think I'm going to call it an early night; I'm tired and tomorrow is a travel day. 

Mally: Of course, sweet dreams, Baby, love you.

C.J.: Love you, too, Captain Mally and I can't wait to see you. 

Mally: You saw me last night. 

C.J.: Not the same and you know it. Night. 

Mally: Night. 

Charlotte shuts down her laptop and places it over on the desk, before heading to the bathroom to complete her nighttime routine, plugging her phone in and then sliding back under the covers. 

She briefly hears voices when Ashley and Jessie come into the room, but is soon out cold. 

The following morning they have an early breakfast and team meeting, before heading back up to their rooms to finish getting packed and ready to leave for the airport in a couple of hours' time. 

Charlotte finishes packing the last of her things and checking that there is nothing left in the bathroom. "I'm all packed." 

"I just need some help to zip this up." 

"How is your suitcase fuller now than when we arrived?"

"I may have bought a few souvenirs." 

Charlotte's eyes go wide, "I didn't get anything to bring home to Mal!" 

"We have like an hour before we need to meet in the lobby, Jessie took me to a place that's about a 10-minute walk from here." 

"Let's go!" 

They head out to the row of shops and Charlotte quickly picks out a couple of matching bracelets and a shirt for herself. She apologizes before paying for her purchases with American money. 

"You do realize that you just massively overpaid for that stuff right?" 

"It's okay, the gentleman at the ice cream place gave me a free scoop last night and I kinda still feel guilty about it."

"You got free ice cream? That's so not fair!"

Charlotte winks at her, "Perks of being cuter than you." 

"Shut up and grab your stuff, we need to hurry up and get back to the hotel."

They run inside the lobby and see some of their teammates have already started gathering, as soon as the elevator comes down they head to their room and pack Charlotte's purchases before catching the elevator back downstairs and joining the group. 

"Thanks for that, Ash." 

"No prob, that's what friends are for. Speaking of friends, I know about the conversation that you and Jess had and how that led to her coming back to me. Thank you for doing that."

"You're welcome. I'm really glad that things have worked out for you guys. As much as I bug you about being with Jessie, I really do like the two of you together."

"I told her that I loved her, you know." 

"About time!" 

"She also sent an email to school asking to be reassigned as my roommate." 

"Not shocking, just make sure you always use protection and it wouldn't hurt to give your wall mates earplugs, because knowing you, you're probably pretty loud." 

"Why are we friends again?" 

"Umm, because you love me." 

"So, when do I get my new board?" 

"Can you at least give me until we land in Cali before asking about it again?"

"Maybe, we're going to be spending a good chunk of the next 24 hours together flying home, so no guarantees."

"Omg, really? Send me the link for this board you want so badly and I'll make sure to have it waiting for you when you get home." 

"And some shoes, too?" 

"Why do I feel as though now that you know about my secret, you are going to milk it for all that it's worth?" 

"I'd say that chances are pretty good of that happening." 

"Urgh! I'm asking to switch seats on the plane." 


	66. Chapter 66

After arriving back in California, Charlotte holds up her promise to Ashley and buys her friend the board that she has been drooling over along with a few new pairs of kicks before they go their separate ways and heading back to their respective schools.

Once Charlotte returns to her and Mal's apartment, she crashes on the couch and, looking at the time, realizes that it's just about time for the USWNT to play their friendly against the visitors from Denmark. Even though the game was being played in San Diego, Charlotte, dealing with some travel fatigue, opted not to make the trip and get some extra rest in before she needs to return to her normal class and school schedule. 

With very little food in the apartment when she arrives, Charlotte calls in a pizza order and then messages Alana to see if her roommate wants to hang and watch the game with her. Unfortunately, or fortunately for her, Alana has already made plans for the evening, leaving Charlotte to get comfy and wait for the delivery on her own. Grabbing a bottle of water, she sits down and turns the television on, finding the game just as the anthems finish out. 

With the opening whistle blown, the game begins, and she sits on the edge of the couch, cheering on her girl and teammates. 

14 minutes in Nadia Nadim slips through and redirects the ball past US Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher to put Denmark in the lead. 

3 minutes after that, Mal crosses a ball into the box, and Alex Morgan connects with a header tying the game at 1 goal apiece. 

A mere two minutes after that, Julie Ertz puts the home team on top after hammering home a shot from the top of the box. 

Charlotte devours her slices of pizza during the half time break and then goes searching for the ice cream she is fairly certain that she left in the freezer while she was away. She is scraping out the last bit from the container as Mal starts the second half of the game by quickly adding a third goal on the day for the home side. 

"Yes! Way to go, Baby; love you!" 

20 minutes later, Mal has herself a brace and Charlotte cheers loudly, not caring if the neighbours hear. 

In the 70th minute, Mal is subbed out and joins her teammates on the sidelines for the balance of the match. 

Crystal Dunn adds the United States fifth goal of the match in the 81st minute, and the United States goes on to win by a final score of 5 - 1. 

With the game finished, Charlotte gathers up and cleans her mess, throwing the leftover pizza in the fridge for breakfast or lunch tomorrow. 

After heading into the bedroom, she grabs some comfies to put on before completing her nighttime routine and getting comfy in bed with a book.

Ring, ring

Charlotte looks down at the screen of her phone and smiles, "Hey, Baby; awesome game." 

"Hey, thanks. How are you doing?" 

"Good, still a little whacked out by the time difference, but I should be okay in a few days." 

"What are you up to?" 

"Just back at the hotel, waiting to shower and get changed so we can go out for a team supper." 

"I can't wait to shower with you." 

"Two more nights apart, and then we'll have a couple of weeks together before the SheBelieves Cup. Babe, I gotta go now; I love you and can't wait to see you. Night, C.J." 

"Love you too, Night Mally."

Hanging up from the call, Charlotte smiles when she thinks about finally being able to wrap her arms around and take in Mal's smell again. Setting down her phone, she slides her glasses back on and continues to read her copy of James Patterson's book, "Zoo." 

Eventually, as her eyes begin to droop, she marks her page with a piece of paper before setting it on the nightstand, taking her glasses off and actually for once remembering to put them in their case and calling a night. 

The next day, she heads to school to get in an early morning workout with some of the girls before heading back to the apartment to get cleaned up and then borrowing Alana's car to get some groceries as Mal turned hers in before she left for home. 

After making several trips back and forth between the car and apartment, the fridge is relatively full as are the cupboards. Charlotte grabs the pre-made salad she purchased while out and sits down to grab something to eat for lunch when her phone begins buzzing. 

New Message

Lan: So what are you making for supper? 

Charlie: Pineapple chicken.

Lan: You got enough supplies for two more?

Charlie: I should, why?

Lan: I'm with Jordan and Averie and mentioned that you were cooking and well, now they want to try some out. 

Charlie: It's fine, can you do me a favour and pick up some rice to go with it, I don't think there is enough in the box for four servings. 

Lan: Can do! Dessert?

Charlie: I hadn't really planned for any, but if you want to pick up something that's cool with me. 

Lan: Okay, see you around 5. Is the door code still the same? 

Charlie: 5355 till the end of the month and then it's changed. 

Lan: See you then, I'm glad you're back, I've been missing your sorry ass.

Charlie: Missed you too, Lan. See you soon.

Once she finishes eating her lunch, she does a quick tidy up of the apartment and starts tackling her laundry, listening and singing along with her playlist as she dances around. 

The alarm on her phone goes off letting her know that she needs to get started on chopping the veggies and meat for supper, so she waits until the timer runs out on the dryer before loading her clothes back into the basket and then heads into the bedroom to fold and put them away. 

With her laundry taken care of she decides to give Mackenzie a call and check in with her sister while chopping up everything for supper. She puts the call on speaker and it's answered. 

"What do you want?" She hears laughing.

"Just checking in, s'up with you?" 

"Not much, just chilling, you?" 

"Chopping veg and chicken; having some guests for supper." 

"Does Mal know?" 

"She isn't back yet and it's three of my teammates, Kenz." 

"Whatcha making?" 

"That pineapple chicken I made before that turned out pretty well, it's easy." 

"Nice. You going to make me it for me when I come and visit?" 

"Sure. Any updates on the Ring Pop case?" 

"The Ring Pop case sounds like a good book name and it's in progress, should arrive here before I head your way." 

"Awesome, can I run something by you?" 

"Like?" 

"I've been thinking about creating a scavenger hunt around Washington where, at the end of it I would propose or proposing in New York City, specifically on the Bow Bridge in Central Park."

"Okay, a scavenger hunt sounds like something you would enjoy, but what would Mal think? Also, what brought about the New York idea?"

"Mal and I had a weekend getaway in NYC and we walked through the park, there was a couple that got engaged pretty much in front of us and looking back on it, it just seems like the right place to ask Mal to be my wife."

"What else?" 

"I know you, C.J. you have something else in mind for it." 

"I was kinda thinking that it would be nice if Mal's parents and you and Mom were there to witness it, from afar of course." 

"I'm so in and I'm sure Mom and Mal's parents will be in as well. When are you thinking of doing it?" 

"I'm not sure, it would have to be when there is a break in Mal's schedule long enough to allow for a trip or on a day off. The schedule hasn't been posted yet, so I can say anything definite yet. Crap, Kenz, I should go, I didn't realize it was so late and I need to get supper going." 

"Okay, have fun with your girls and call me when you have a better idea as to when and what you want so I can help plan it. I'm excited now!" 

Charlotte laughs, "I will. Thanks, Kenz. Love you." 

"Love you, too. Bye." 

Charlotte hits the button to end the call and gets to work on cooking, soon there is a knock on the door and she heads over to let Alana, Jordan and Averie in. 

"Nice place you got here; no wonder you're never at the dorm." 

"It's Mal's place, not mine." 

"Yeah, well, your girl's got good taste; except maybe in the partner department." 

"Doors that way, Jordan!" Charlotte points to the door causing them all to laugh at her and her actions. 

"No way, Lan has been bragging about your kitchen game and I want to see what all the fuss is about."

"Fine, but, it's really all about being able to read or watch and follow instructions."

"Is that how it is in the bedroom as well?" 

"Strike two, Dibiasi. And as far as that's concerned, Mal's never complained about my bedroom game or well, my game anywhere else for that matter." Charlotte smiles and winks at them. They all start laughing and as Charlotte continues working on supper in the kitchen area, the others gather around and they chat away. 

"Sucks that you guys lost in a shootout." 

"Yeah, A, it does, but at least we managed to qualify for the World Cup." 

"You had a good showing as did T, maybe you'll get a look for the Senior roster at the SheBelieves." 

Charlotte laughs, "We lost, there's no chance I get an invite to Senior camp right now. Anyway, can we talk about something other than soccer, right now? Have you guys read any good books or seen any good movies lately?" 

"You're such a nerd, you know that Charlie?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Yep, and that's why Mal loves me." 

"Speaking of Mal, is your girl going to be joining us for training when she arrives?"

"That's the plan, I already cleared it with Coach." 

"Nice." 

A short time later and they have all polished off their supper while sitting in front of the television watching some Netflix. 

"Okay, so, what did you guys think of supper? I'm assuming based on the fact that your plates are empty that it was good and you liked it, right?" 

"It was really good, Charlie."

"Thanks, Av. Jordan, what did you think? did it meet your expectations?" 

"I'll give you this one, Charlie, it was really good."

Charlotte does a little victory dance in her seat, "Woohoo, she likes it, she really likes it!"

"Lan, what did you think?"

"What they said, add this recipe to your ever-growing list and feel free to invite me when you make it again," Alana adds as she stands up and collects their plates. "We got some brownies for dessert."

"Sweet!"

After eating and helping to tidy up, the three other girls head out to work on school stuff that needs to be completed before classes the following day. 

Charlotte sends Mal a message asking if she is free to talk, but doesn't get an immediate response so she assumes that her girlfriend must be out with some of her fellow USWNT players and unable to speak with her at the moment. She goes about getting herself changed into comfies and completing her nighttime routine before making certain she has everything set out for class and training the next day. Once that's done, she rereads her notes in advance of her first class in the morning before deciding to turn her focus to her new book. 

_"Unbeknownst to those around him, the mastermind who had so skillfully orchestrated the demise of the two astronauts during training for their upcoming mission was none other than one of their own...."_

As she becomes invested in the story coming to life at her fingertips, the clock beside her soon rolls back into single digits. Letting a yawn, Charlotte happens to look at the time along the bottom of her screen and then double checks her phone to make sure it's accurate, "Crap!" realizing she is now short on hours to sleep, she ensures that she saves her work before shutting down and closing her eyes for the night. 

The following morning as her alarm sounds out finds her hitting the snooze bar multiple times before finally deciding it's time to brave the early morning and head to class. She slides into the clothes that she set out the previous evening and then goes about making herself presentable before filling her travel mug with fresh coffee and grabbing a bagel and banana to go. She adds her freshly filled water bottle to her bag before setting off for what she knows will be a long day ahead. 

With her classes, now finished for the day, Charlotte heads to the field to join her Cardinal teammates for their regularly scheduled training session. As they take a water break halfway through, Charlotte feels arms wrap around her from behind and lips make contact with her cheek, "Hey, Baby." 

She turns around quickly and pulls Mal into her arms before kissing her, "I thought you weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow?"

"Yeah, well, I missed you and changed my flight; now, finish up your session and then we can head back to the apartment and shower together." 

Charlotte gulps at the thought before lighting up in a big smile and saluting, "Aye, aye, Captain Mally!" 

She hears Mal laughing behind her as she jogs back onto the field with the rest of her teammates.

A little while later, they make their way into the apartment, close the door and take each other in their arms. 

"I'm so glad that you're back; I've missed you so much, Baby." 

They share kisses and slowly make their way into the bedroom, helping each other out of their clothes and admiring the view in front of them. 

Charlotte bites her bottom lip as she fights back the urge to reclaim one of Mal's nipples. 

Mal smiles as if knowing what she is thinking, "After we shower, we can play; right now, you stink and it's not a turn-on."

Charlotte takes Mal's hand and leads her to the bathroom, before releasing it to turn on the water in the stall. As the steam starts to fill the room, hands and mouths wander reclaiming what is rightfully theirs. 

After succeeding in finally washing, Charlotte and Mal towel each other off before sharing several more kisses in between drying their hair and changing into some comfies. 

Charlotte wraps her arms around Mal and kisses her cheek, "You hungry? There are some leftovers in the fridge."

"What did you make?" 

"Pineapple chicken, you want?"

"Yes, please!" Charlotte can't help but laugh at Mal's enthusiastic response to the offer of food.

After they finish eating, they curl up on the couch together just enjoying each other's touch and smell. 

"Mal, can I ask you something?" 

"What did you do or are you planning on doing, C.J.?"

"Am I that predictable?" 

"Somewhat, now spill." 

"I was thinking that now that you're here you could hold my hand while I got a tattoo."

"The sun and moon, one?" 

Charlotte nods, "Yeah, I think I'm finally ready to do it." 

"You wimped out last time, we didn't even make it past the door." 

"Pardon me for not liking the idea of needles being poked into my skin." 

Mal laughs, "Point taken. So, when and where are we going and can I get one, too?" 

"Wait, what?" 

"I was thinking that I might get something that only you and I would see." 

"Ooooh, do I get to choose the placement?" 

"Actually I thinking about right here." Mal takes her hand and places it at the side of her left breast. 

"Are you going to tell me what you are getting?" 

"Nope, it'll be a surprise." 

"I hate surprises, Mally!" Mal laughs at her, "I know you do and I also know it's going to drive you nuts not knowing what I'm getting." 

"You don't play fair, Pugh." 

Mal turns at looks at her, "Says the person who stole my heart." 

"I love you, Mal, more than anything in this world." 

"I love you, too, C.J. now how about we head to the bedroom and share our love?"

"I'm right behind you, Baby." 


	67. Chapter 67

Charlotte watches Mal sleep as she tries to be as quiet as possible while gathering what she needs for her classes on the day. 

She packs her bag and then heads out to the kitchen to make some breakfast. Having woke up before the alarm, she takes her time in making extra food for Mal and finishes it off with a hot cup of coffee made to her girl's preferences. 

She carries the tray into the bedroom and finds the bed empty, and the bathroom door closed.

"Mal?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Get back in bed!" 

She hears laughing as the door opens and Mal walks out and looks at her, noticing the tray with the food on it, she smiles before climbing back into bed and having the food placed in front of her.

"I was trying to surprise you with breakfast in bed."

"You did, well, kinda." Mal takes a sip of her coffee and smiles at Charlotte, "Mmm, I could totally get used to this." 

Charlotte smiles, "I wish I could spoil you with breakfast in bed every day, but that would mean me getting up early and we both know I'm not good with that." 

Mal laughs, "Yeah, some things never change. Don't you have a class you should be getting too?" 

"Unfortunately, I would much rather spend the day in bed with you, though." 

"How about this weekend we do that?" 

"Can't, we have our appointments on Saturday." 

"Right. Then Sunday, we are having a lazy day." 

"Deal. I have to go now, beautiful." Charlotte leans down and kisses her, "Love you." 

"Love you, too. Have fun learning new things, Wikipedia."

Charlotte laughs and shakes her head, "You're still coming to training later, right?" 

"Yep. Can't wait." 

"Bye, baby." Charlotte heads out of the bedroom and collects her stuff before making the trek to class. 

With her first two classes of the day now complete, Charlotte puts in her pods and turns on some music while she eats and works on an assignment during her break prior to her final class of the day. 

An hour later, she has made progress on the assignment and packs up to make the walk to her class only to find a note hastily taped to the door that the instructor had a family emergency to tend to and class is cancelled for the day. 

She debates the merit of heading back to the apartment and spending time with Mal or just staying put and focusing on her schoolwork before getting ready for training and decides just to find a spot to plug in and work. 

As she empties the contents of her water bottle, she looks at the time and decides to head to the session early and maybe get some extra shooting practice in. 

After she gets changed and makes her way to the field, she is surprised to find a few of the girls already there and playing around. She slides on her cleats and joins them in a warmup before they decide to play a little 5 v 5 to kill time. 

"We only have one keeper, so how is that going to be fair?" 

"AJ, do you have extra gloves in your bag?" 

The keeper nods and heads over to the sidelines, pulling out her back up pair of gloves and handing them to Charlotte, "Congratulations, you're now a keeper." 

Charlotte looks at them, "No way!"

"Don't get your knickers in a knot, Charlie, it's only for a bit until Katie arrives and then she can take over." 

"Fine, just take it easy on me, okay?" 

She hears laughs as they all run away from her and Jordan gives her a smile. 

"Shit, I'm dead." 

Once they begin playing, Charlotte soon forgets about her initial hesitations of being between the sticks and allows herself to have a bit of fun with it. She waits for Jordan's shot and comes up with an anything but textbook diving save on her teammate, surprising everyone, even the Coaches watching from the sidelines. Pouncing on the loose ball, she waits and collects in before throwing it back out to Sophia, who has now joined her side. Sophia knocks the ball down and then proceeds to one time it past AJ. 

As more of the girls arrive they join the game and soon Mal arrives, sliding on her cleats, she is thrown a pinny for the opposite team. Charlotte doesn't initially notice Mal's arrival until her girlfriend has the ball at her feet and is flying down the field towards her. Her teammates seem quite content to let the Spirit player go by them and let her have her shot on goal and her girlfriend. 

Knowing there isn't a chance that Mal is going to pass, she comes out in an attempt to hopefully cut off the angle, she preps for impact and can only watch as her girlfriend chips the ball over her and into the netting behind her. 

"What the hell, Mal?" 

Mal laughs, "You were off your line, made it way too easy to score." 

"Yeah, well, someone won't be scoring tonight!" 

They hear laughing around them and Charlotte looks at Mal, "I said that really loud, didn't, I?"

Mal nods, "But, you look really cute with keeper gloves on. Maybe, we should get you some of your own." 

"If you guys are done with the bedroom talk, Katie is finally here." 

They both laugh, "Thanks, Lan." 

Charlotte takes off the sweaty gloves and heads over to the sideline to grab a drink before rejoining the game on Mal's team this time. 

After they connect on three goals for the side, the coach blows the whistle and calls them all in. 

"I did have an actual session planned for today, but everyone looked like they were having fun, so I let it go. What's everyone's opinion on our new keeper? Should we keep her or send her to the bench?" 

"Forget the bench, send her to the men's team." 

Charlotte looks at Jordan before they all crack up. Mal puts her arms around her, "You have the #1 position locked down on my team, Babe." 

"Thanks. I don't think I could be a goalie anyways, I prefer to be part of the action."

They are sent on their way after completing a cooldown and the two stop to grab some food to bring back to the apartment, not feeling like doing any cooking after the long session. 

"Shower or food?" 

Charlotte plops down on the couch, "Food, then shower together?" 

Mal nods in agreement and then sits down to eat with her.

"You were actually pretty good in goal, you know." 

"I'd much rather be the one scoring goals than trying to prevent them, I think today was a one and done kinda thing." 

"So, does that mean no keeper gloves for you?" 

"I mean, I guess it wouldn't hurt to look at some." 

"Really?" 

"No! I hurt in places that I didn't know existed before now and my shoulder is bruised." 

"How about after our shower, I give you a massage?" 

Charlotte stands up, "Shower, now?" 

"Sit down and eat your sandwich, C.J." 

"Yes, dear."

"Oh my God, right there, oh God" Mal laughs as she continues to knead away at Charlotte's lower back. "Please don't stop, it feels so gooood."

Mal stops rubbing and kneading and Charlotte feels the bed rise as her girlfriend climbs off and then back on. 

"Mal?"

She lets out a moan as she realizes that her girlfriend is pulling out some toys for them to play with.

"Turn over, Babe." Charlotte does as she is told and is met by Mal's lips on hers, "Good girl, now, relax." 

"Mal, what are you doing?" 

Mal kisses her, before showing her what's in her hand, "Taking control." 

"You don't need to tie me up, Baby." Charlotte tries to get out of having her hands bound, but Mal shakes her head and gently ties them together above her head. She kisses Charlotte's forehead, nose and then lips, before looking deeply into each other's eyes and smiling. 

They rejoin their lips and mouths with the kisses growing longer and harder with the need to take possession of each other. Charlotte lets out a frustrated groan at her inability to use her hands or arms as Mal lets out a giggle, "Make you a deal, I'll undo your hands if you let me make love to you without trying to take over; just once I want to make you come before me, okay?" 

Charlotte nods and smiles, before pulling Mal in for a kiss as her hands are released. Mal sits up on her, "Are you going to be good?" 

"Nope." 

They both laugh and Mal shakes her head, "Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer, right?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "I'll try to be good, beautiful." 

As if a switch was flipped inside her, Mal, takes over and Charlotte can only lay back and enjoy her movements and when she hears a buzzing, she knows that her girl definitely isn't playing around on the night. 

She lays there trying to catch her breath as Mal's tongue circles around collecting the fluid that has been expelled from her after rocking through two incredible orgasms. 

As Mal moves up beside her, their mouths join as the taste of herself on Mal's lips and tongue instantly energizes her and soon she needs a fill of her own. She climbs over and licks her lips as she takes in the view of her girlfriend's sweat covered body under her. 

"C.J.?" 

"Yeah?"

"I need you to fuck me." 

Charlotte climbs off of Mal, "Which one?" 

"The bigger one." 

"You sure?"

"Yes." 

Charlotte gets herself set up and climbs back on the bed, where Mal pushes her on her back. She watches as her girlfriend begins stroking the attachment with her hand, before locking eyes with Charlotte as she runs her tongue all over it and then takes it in her mouth. As Mal comes up for air Charlotte's had enough and needs to be inside her. She takes hold of Mal's hips and helps guide her; Mal smiles when she realizes when Charlotte wants and shows the wetness already accumulating between her legs before sliding herself down on it and letting out a loud moan as she does so.

They enjoy the feeling of Mal being on top before Charlotte demands to enter her from behind. As she pounds her girlfriend's insides, the room is filled with moaning from both of them and it takes no time to Mal scream out as she rubs circles around her clit and squeezes her breasts while doing it. Not ready to be done quite yet, she withdraws from Mal's swollen area and guides her to lay down on her back, so she can continue to fuck her while making out with her. 

The movements become gentler as Charlotte licks and sucks away on Mal's breasts and nipples, before withdrawing the strap on and resituating herself so she can send Mal reeling off the tip of her tongue. She grabs on to Mal's hips and legs and then enters her with her tongue, completing a similar motion with it as she was with the purple attachment and increasing the pressure and depth of the movement soon leads to Mal calling out her name as she reaches her peak and she feels a gush of fluid coat her tongue and face. She cleans up Mal, before discarding the strap on to the floor and climbing up beside Mal. 

They share several kisses as both bask in the afterglow of their acts. 

As they lay facing each other, they can only smile and exchange gentle kisses between laughs. 

"I think I'm willing to let you lead a bit more often if it ends up like this all the time; that was amazing. You're amazing, Mally and I love you so much." 

Mal laughs, "I love you, too and it's cute when you're all soft." 

"I think you mean happy, not soft, Baby. Come here." Charlotte reaches her arms out and Mal assumes her position in them as they cover themselves over. 

Charlotte's stomach lets out a rumble and they both laugh, "We should probably eat something, Babe." Charlotte pulls Mal in tighter and kisses her shoulder and arm, "In a bit, let's just relax for a few first." 

Soon both are asleep and Charlotte wakes up a few hours later somewhat disoriented, before recalling the events of earlier. She lets out a yawn before realizing how incredibly hungry she is and reluctantly climbs out of the bed and puts on some comfies before venturing to the kitchen. 

Not feeling the need to make anything fancy, she boils some water and adds some pasta to it, heating up some pre-made sauce while the water cooks the noodles. With it cooked and plated, she carries both dishes along with a couple of water bottles into the bedroom and puts on the light. 

"Mally?" 

"What?" 

"I made us food, you need to sit up and eat." Mal lets out a loud yawn as she props herself up with her pillow behind her back. "What time is it?" 

"Almost 9:30. I guess we fell asleep for a bit." 

"Uh-huh." Charlotte lets out a yawn between mouthfuls. 

"You wanna watch something?" 

"Ash got me watching Orange Is The New Black while we were away, do you wanna watch it?" 

"Let me guess you have a crush on someone in the show." 

"Umm, maybe." 

Mal collects her dish and stacks it with her own, "How about we tidy up the mess you made in the kitchen and then we get comfy to watch the show?" 

"I didn't make a mess in the kitchen." 

Mal looks at her, "Babe, you're an amazing cook, but, we both know you destroy the kitchen anytime you make stuff." Charlotte can't help but laugh at the truth in the statement. 

"Honestly, I didn't, this time, one pot for pasta, one pot for sauce and the strainer thingy, plus our plates, that's it." 

"We'll see." Mal heads out to the kitchen and is pleasantly surprised to find that the pots are already soaking in the sink and the counters and stovetop are all wiped down. She sets the plates down in the sink and makes her way back to the bedroom. "And?" 

Mal walks towards the bathroom, "I'll wash the dishes in the morning." 

"Ha!"

"Don't push it or you'll be on the couch." 

Charlotte gets up and collects her pillow, "Okay, night." 

"C.J. come back, I'm only kidding. Plus, I need to find out all about this crush of yours." 

After they both complete their nighttime routines, they get comfortable in bed and watch an episode of OITNB. 

Mal looks over at Charlotte and smiles, "You know you kinda remind me of Alex with your glasses."

"Should I put them on then?" 

Mal kisses her cheek, "Not tonight, maybe another night though." 

"Are we gonna have ourselves a little role-play action, Mally?"

"Perhaps if you play your cards right we will." 

"Babe, you can't beat me at cards, you know that." 

"I still think that you cheat, there's no way you could win every time, otherwise."

"Is it even possible to cheat at UNO?" 

"C.J. now would be a good time for you to stop talking before you really do end up on the couch because of a smart ass remark." 

"I thought you loved my smart ass remarks?" 

"I do, and I love you, but right now can we sleep?" 

"Love you, Captain Mally, sweet dreams, beautiful." Charlotte leans over and kisses Mal's temple before pulling her close and getting settled. 


	68. Chapter 68

A few weeks later and Mal and Charlotte are just finishing up a training session together with some of Charlotte's Stanford teammates. 

"T, your phone is ringing." Tierna jogs over to her bag and answers the call, her face lighting up as she speaks to whoever is on the other end of the call. 

She rejoins their group for cooldown

"Spill Davidson who was on the phone, we know you weren't sexting with AJ cause she's been here the entire time." 

"Jill Ellis. She just invited me to join the senior team camp in Orlando for the SheBelieves Tournament." 

They all hug and congratulate their friend and teammate. 

"I guess you should be getting the call pretty soon as well, Mal." 

Mal smiles, "I hope so." 

Charlotte and Mal finish up before making their way back to the apartment and try to decide what to have for supper. 

"Baby, we really should have gone to the store before coming home, we don't have a lot of choices for supper." 

Mal's phone starts ringing and as she looks at the screen she smiles, "It's Jill." 

"Hello." 

"Yes. I've been training with the Stanford girls." 

"Of course, I look forward to it." 

"My email?" 

"Okay, I'll look after and confirm. Thanks, Jill and I'll see you then." 

"Bye."

Charlotte wraps her arms around Mal, and kisses her, "Congratulations, Baby; I'm so proud of you!" 

"Proud enough to make supper?" 

Charlotte looks at her and rolls her eyes, "When haven't I made supper?" 

"True, but you are clearly the better cook between us."

Charlotte kisses her, "You grab a shower and I'm going to head to the store to pick up a few things." 

"Sounds good." 

Mal heads to the bedroom and starts to get undressed for the shower when she hears ringing, thinking that Charlotte hasn't left yet, she just ignores it and heads in to get washed up. 

Once she is done in the shower she dries herself off and throws on some comfies before heading out to the kitchen to grab a drink. 

She hears ringing again and realizes that Charlotte left her phone behind in her haste to get food for supper. She picks it up and decides to answer it. 

"Charlotte's phone, Mal speaking, can I help you?" 

"Mallory?" 

"Jill?" 

"Is this not the phone number for Charlotte Gordon?" 

"It is, but she's at the store right now." 

"And may I ask, why you have her phone?" 

"Umm, because she's my girlfriend and well, we live together." 

"Oh." 

"Is that a problem?" 

"No, Mallory, it isn't a problem. I just wasn't aware of your situation that's all. Do you happen to know when Charlotte will return?" 

"She should be back anytime." 

"Okay, I'll give her a call back in an hour after I've finished informing the rest of the girls." 

Mal realizes now why Jill would be calling her girlfriend, "She's being called up?" 

She hears Jill laugh, "Yes, Mallory." 

"OH MY GOD!" 

"I should go now Mallory, but do you think you can keep this conversation to yourself until I call back?" 

Mal nods before remembering to speak, "Yes, Oh my God, yes. I can do that!" 

Jill laughs, "I'll see you soon Mallory." 

"Bye Jill." 

Mal circles around the apartment until Charlotte bangs on the door. She opens it and helps her bring in the bags and put them away. 

"I'm going to grab a shower before I make us food okay?" 

"NO!" 

Charlotte looks at her, "What's going on with you? You're acting kinda weird? Did you get into the candy stash while I was away?" 

"Maybe a little, yes, but I'm hungry and can't wait to eat. Please?" 

"Fine. Do you wanna help me chop some veg?" 

"Okay. By the way, you forgot your phone when you went out."

"Yeah, I realized when I was at the store. Anyways, let's get chopping!" 

Mal does her best to focus on the task at hand while trying to keep the huge news from her girlfriend. 

With the food on the stove cooking, Charlotte decides that Mal is capable of supervising while she showers. 

Charlotte's phone starts ringing before she manages to even get undressed and Mal brings it to her, "It's an Unknown Number, I'll let it go to voicemail." 

"No, you should answer it, it could be important." 

"Fine, but if it's someone telling me that I won a trip or money you're dealing with it." 

"Deal!" 

Charlotte answers the phone as Mal watches on

"Hello?" 

"Yes." 

"Okay, Jordan, give it up, that's the worst accent I've ever heard!"

"You're not Jordan are you?" Ma can't help but laugh at the look on Charlotte's face when she realizes she screwed up. 

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I totally thought that you were a teammate playing a prank on me."

"Yes, Coach Ellis, I would be honoured. I look forward to meeting you as well." 

"Okay, thank you, so much! See you then."

Charlotte hangs up the call and looks at Mal, "You knew didn't you?" 

Mal wipes the tears that are falling from her eyes and nods, "I'm so happy for you." 

They hug each other, "I'm going to camp with you." 

"Yeah, you are. By the way, Jill knows about us; I answered your phone while you were out." 

Charlotte laughs, "And that's how you knew what was going on and why you've been bouncing since I got back and made sure I answered the call." 

"Yeah." 

Their moment is interrupted by the high-pitched sound of the smoke alarm going off in the kitchen. They both run out and scoop the pan off the top of the stove before setting it in the sink. 

"Take out for supper?" 

They both laugh and hold each other, "Yeah, we need to celebrate, but first, how about you grab a shower cause you're a bit ripe." 

"Uh-huh. You're in charge of ordering supper then." 

Charlotte heads back into the bedroom and strips out of her sweaty and smelly clothes before climbing under the hot water and washing away the traces of the workout of earlier. As the water runs over her body, she can't help but react to the news of her call up with tears running as freely down her face and cheeks as the water on her back. 

She makes herself presentable and finds that Mal must have stepped out to get their food. Picking up her phone, she slides her thumb over her contacts before stopping at her Mom's number and hitting the dial icon. 

"Charlie, I'm at work, can I call you back?" 

"Mom, I got called up! I'm going to the SheBelieves camp along with Mal." 

She hears her Mom let out a scream and then she knows based on the sound that her Mom is crying at the news. 

"I'm so proud of you." 

"Thanks, Mom." 

"Have you told your sister, yet?" 

"No, you're the first to know, well, I guess second after Mal." 

"I need to get back to work, but I will call you later, okay?" 

"Okay, Mom. Love you." 

"Love you, Charlie and I'm so happy for you and so proud and now everyone in the office knows." 

"That's fine, the invite roster will be posted on the US website tomorrow morning, anyway."

"I'm going to need tickets." 

"I know, I'll look after that when I make the team." 

"You will have faith in yourself. Okay, I really have to go, I'm due in a meeting and now I look like a raccoon." 

Charlotte laughs, "Bye, Mom." 

"Bye." 

Looking at her phone she debates sending Mackenzie a text with the news but instead opts to Facetime her big sister. 

"Hey, perfect timing, is Mal there, I need her advice on an outfit for my date."

"Always knew Mal was your favourite." 

"Yeah, well, at least she knows how to co-ordinate unlike you." 

"I was going to share some news with you but now I don't think I will."

"What news? Wait let me see your arm, did you get a tattoo?" 

Charlotte laughs, "I did, you like?" Charlotte lifts up her forearm to show the sun and moon tattoo that she finally was able to get with more than a little hand-holding and encouragement from Mal.

"That looks awesome. Does Mom know you got inked?" 

"Nope, but she knows I was considering it and Mal got one as well." 

"What did Mal get?" 

"Umm, that's for me and her to know." 

"Now, I really need to know." 

"Nope, sorry, not going to happen." 

The door opens and Mal returns with their food, Charlotte passes her phone over and takes the food from her, "It's Kenz." 

Mal nods, "S'up Kenz?" 

Charlotte watches as they go through the process of narrowing down her sister's wardrobe choices for her date and Mackenzie presses Mal for info on her ink, to no avail." 

"Now that you've picked Mal's brain are you ready for my news?" 

"Make it quick." 

"Guess who's been invited to the SheBelieves camp?"

"Mal." 

"Well, yeah, but also me." 

"Wait, what? Are you serious?" 

"Yep, I got the call a little while ago." 

"That's fucking awesome, C.J! We totally need to celebrate! Wait, I was planning on coming to visit once Mal left; does that mean I need to change my plans?" 

"Hold off on making any changes until I make the actual team, but if I do there's a game at Red Bull Arena." 

"I'm totally there! Congrats Sis, this is huge. Speaking of huge, the contract is signed and Ryan Reynolds is going to be playing Nathaniel. They are still working the numbers but it looks like Blake will be on board as well, maybe as Sarah." 

"Any word on when production will start?" 

"They are still working on the script, location hunting and casting, so probably at least another 6 months away." 

"I'm willing to bet that you've been fielding emails about Revelation and when it's going to be complete haven't you?" 

"Yeah, but I keep giving them the old you can't rush a good thing line and that they will get it as soon as it's ready. Speaking of which, any progress?" 

"No, I'm still conflicted, but I have made progress on my other book." 

"Conflicted?" 

"Yeah, I feel like I'm throwing the parents under the bus if I come out and admit that they willingly signed their children up to be guinea pigs." 

Mackenzie and Mal both laugh at the comment, "C.J. isn't that the basis of the entire book, it's the revelation as to how the process of everyone being implanted with the chips began?"

"It is, but that doesn't mean I don't feel guilty writing it." 

"Get over it, you didn't have any qualms with killing Sarah and everyone loved her; throw them under the bus and get 'er done!"

"Fine, I'll see what I can come up with." 

"Good. Now, what do you think black or blue jeans?"

"Black." 

"Cool. Okay, I gots to go. Proud of you, kid. Love you and Mal and I'll see you guys soon." 

Charlotte goes to respond but the connection terminates before she gets a chance to. 

After finally sitting down to eat and finishing up, they curl up on the couch and hold each other. 

Mal kisses Charlotte's nose, causing her to laugh, "What's that for?" 

"Because it was there and you're cute and I love you." 

"Love you, Mally." They share a kiss and smile at each other. "Mal, I'm kinda scared, what happens if I screw up at camp and never get called up again?" 

Mal laughs, "As long as don't say or do anything that alienates the girls or coaching staff then you will be fine. Also, we need to back burner us and our relationship while at camp so we can come across as professionals." 

"Professionals, right, got it." 

"C.J. I mean it, we can't do anything that could affect our futures." 

"I know and don't worry, I will be on my best behaviour." 

"Promise?" 

"Yes. Now, can we have ice cream?" 

"Yes, I'll get the bowls." 

After they finish up and tidy up the mess, they both take the time to message and or call their friends and family members with the news. 

As the news of Charlotte's call-up gets around, her phone begins to bombarded with messages as does Mal's and they opt to ignore them while completing their nighttime routines and then getting comfortable in bed with another episode of Orange Is The New Black playing.

"Mal?" 

"Yeah, baby?" 

"Tell me I'm not dreaming and that this is really happening, because it doesn't feel real." 

Mal turns over to look at her and gives her a soft smile before kissing her, "If you're dreaming then I'm right there with you. I can't wait to be able to play alongside you again and rep the Red, White and Blue together. I love you, C.J. and I'm proud of you."

"Love you, too, Captain Mally." 

"Babe, do me a favour and don't call me that in front of anyone." 

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Charlotte salutes her, causing them both to laugh. 

"I'm serious, C.J." 

"I know, don't worry, I won't. Sweet dreams, beautiful." 


	69. Chapter 69

Charlotte spends the next few days absorbing the news of her call up while sorting out the details of how she is going to balance her schoolwork while being away for an undetermined amount of time. Thankfully, she doesn't have to look any further than her Stanford teammate, Tierna Davidson, for some guidance.

When finally the day comes for them to catch their flight out for camp, Charlotte is a complete ball of nerves, and Mal does her best to calm her and keep her going.

"Babe, we need to keep moving, or else we are going to miss our ride to the airport."

Charlotte does a final check around and then zips up her suitcase before ensuring that she has everything she needs in her carryon. She pulls her suitcase out to the door and hears Mal yell from the kitchen, "Did you remember to pack your glasses?"

"Damn it." She hears laughing as she heads back into the bedroom to retrieve the case with her glasses inside and adds them to her bag.

Mal wraps her arms around her, and they kiss before separating and smiling at each other, "You ready to go?"

Charlotte smiles and nods before sliding her bag on her back and grabbing the handle of her rolling suitcase, "Let's go." 

They are met out in front of the building by Tierna and AJ as the Stanford keeper is nominated to be the groups' chauffeur for the trip to the airport. It also gives her time to say goodbye to her girlfriend as well before she leaves. 

Arriving in the early afternoon at Orlando International Airport, they are all hoping to be able to grab something to eat as it's past lunchtime. They disembark and await their bags' arrival on the belt before being met by a rep from the US Federation.

"Are we heading to the hotel now?"

"There are a couple of other players arriving soon; why don't you drop your bags and grab a coffee or something while you wait."

Charlotte hears that and nods, "Let's go; I'm starving!"

"When aren't you hungry, Charlie?"

"After I've just eaten, that's when, T, and I kinda didn't eat much breakfast; now, what's good to eat here?"

They check out the options before deciding to grab sandwiches and some drinks, hoping that there will be a better spread when they arrive at the hotel.

Finishing up the food, they make their way back over to where the rep is waiting and see two very familiar faces standing there as well.

Charlotte stands off to the side, slightly in awe of being in the same presence of Alex Morgan and Allie Long.

"You okay, Charlie?" Charlotte turns to look at Tierna and nods, "Yeah, thanks."

"Babe? You good?" Charlotte nods, "Yeah."

"Do you want me to introduce you officially?"

Charlotte laughs, "I think I can manage that much, but thanks for the offer."

Charlotte approaches the players, "Hey, I'm Charlotte Gordon, but you can call me Charlie or C.J."

"Stanford, right?"

Charlotte smiles and nods, and Alex gives her a serious look, "The same Stanford that beat my Bruins?"

"Umm, yeah, sorry about that."

Alex starts laughing, "Don't worry about it, just meant I had to listen to Kelley go on about how Stanford was so much better than UCLA."

"Well, we are," Charlotte responds, making them all laugh.

Alex looks at Mal, "Hey, Mal, I'd be keeping this one away from Kel and Sonny if I were you."

"Don't worry, I plan on; she gets into enough trouble on her own."

"Do not!"

"Yeah, Babe, you do!"

"Babe? Wait, C.J. as in your girlfriend C.J.?" 

They both smile and nod in response to Allie's question.

"Oh, wow, this week just got a lot more interesting."

"Does Jill know about you guys?"

"Yeah, we had a little phone incident, and I admitted that we were together. I've no doubt that we are going to get the whole acting like professionals conversation from her."

"For sure. But the two of you are young and cute and can plead naivety, so you'll probably get away with a few more things than some of the other girls."

"We won't be doing that or anything that could hurt our chances of being able to play together. I'm here this week to prove that I deserve being called up, not because of Mal being my girlfriend but because I'm a baller who led my team to an NCAA Championship."

"T, what do you have to say about your cocky teammate here?"

Tierna walks up beside Charlotte, "I would say she can back up her words with her actions. I've seen it first hand, and I can't wait to see what she does to you guys in training."

Charlotte smiles, "Thanks, T."

"Please don't make me look like a fool now for hyping you up, okay?"

Charlotte laughs, "You don't need me making you look a fool; you can do that all on your own." 

The rep returns to the group, "Everyone is here now, so grabs your bags and let's head out to the van."

The four players head out behind the rep and throw their bags in the back of the van before climbing in and chatting while making their way to the hotel.

Arriving at the hotel, they complete the check-in process and find out who their roommates are. Charlotte is happy to find out that she and Tierna are assigned together, and Mal is with Andi.

They head upstairs to drop their luggage off in their rooms and meet back up at the elevator, "Do we get to eat now?"

"Yes, C.J., we get to eat now. You do realize that once everyone is here, you are going to be put on the hot seat, right?"

She looks towards Tierna and Andi for help, "Mal means that you are going to be requested to stand up, introduce yourself to everyone and tell them about yourself and then deal with their questions. I'm willing to bet that someone is going to bring up the fact that you and Mal are together."

"Let them; we're not hiding."

"Mal, they're going to eat her alive." Mal nods to Andi's statement before they all bust out laughing.

"That was a joke, right?"

Mal shakes her head, "Babe, for being so smart, you're incredibly dumb at times. Yes, it was a joke. Not the part about you having to stand up and tell everyone about yourself, but the question aspect, although you might get a few being the rookie and all."

"Okay, I can do that."

"Good."

The group follows the signs to the team meal area, loads their plates and then takes seats at a table, chatting amongst themselves until others join them. 

Once they are all accounted for and have been fed, Jill calls for their attention.

"Good evening, ladies and welcome. I'm glad to see all of your smiling faces, although I'm certain that after tomorrow's testing that you won't be smiling anymore. You've all received emails with your schedules for tomorrow in terms of physicals and then the individual and team testing and also one for the balance of camp. I expect 100% adherence, and there will be absolutely no tolerance for lateness. Now, as most of you are aware, by the end of the week, we need to submit our final roster for the tournament. This means that 3 of you in this room will not be joining us on the trip. I expect everyone to earn their places on the roster. Understood?"

"Yes, Coach!"

"Good. Next order of business, we have a few new faces joining us in camp; most of you already know each other from having played with or against each other at some level. We have one new addition to this camp from Stanford University; I'm sure those of you who watched any of the Cardinal games this past season or the U-20 tournament will recognize the name, Charlotte Gordon or as I've been told, she prefers Charlie or C.J. We are excited to have her join us and can't wait to see her in action. Charlie, would you like to tell everyone about yourself?"

Charlotte stands up and looks over at Mal before speaking, "As Coach Jill mentioned, my name is Charlotte Gordon, but I prefer to be called Charlie or C.J. I'm from Massena, New York, which is along the St. Lawrence River and very close to Ontario, Canada. I'm currently at Stanford University studying Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering and play as a forward or striker. I'm really looking forward to playing with all of you this week, and I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to say. I like to read and umm, also I'm gay and ... in a relationship."

Mal notices how Charlotte starts to nervously speak, stands up, smiles and nods, "It's okay. What C.J. is trying to say is that we're together and have been for almost a year and a half now." They both look at each other and smile before blushing.

"Okay, that just may have been the cutest thing ever!"

"Baby Pugh, isn't a baby anymore!"

Laughter fills the room as they retake their seats and allow Jill to continue speaking.

Neither of them hears what else is said aside from both of their names being called and asked to stay behind. They wait until the room clears before walking to the front of the room where Jill and the remainder of the coaching staff are situated.

"I'm sure the two of you are aware that while there are no official regulations in place prohibiting relationships during camps, they are frowned upon as they can prove to be more of a distraction than anything. I appreciate that you have been upfront about your relationship and I'm going to be upfront with you if there are any instances which are deemed to lack professionalism at all during this camp, I will not hesitate in dropping either of or both of you from the roster or benching you, understood?"

They both nod and promise to adhere to the unwritten rules.

"Mallory, could you please give us a few minutes alone with Charlie?"

Mal squeezes her arm before making her way out of the room.

"What can I do for you, Coach?"

"Relax, Charlie, I just wanted to make sure that you are okay with the rooming arrangement and to remind you that a curfew means you are to be in your own room. We do random checks and I wouldn't want you to miss one."

"Tierna is awesome and I appreciate that she is my roommate and I understand completely about the curfew and I promise there won't be any issues with me or Mal this week."

"Good. I've watched more than a few of your games at Stanford this season and despite the teams poor showing at the U20's I was very impressed with your overall play; I expect to see that on the pitch and also after speaking with Paul Ratcliffe, he seems to be under the impression that you on faster than Christen Press, I intend to test that out and see if he's right."

"Christen is super fast, I don't think I'm even in the same league as her, but I'm willing to try."

"That's what I like to hear, have a good evening Charlie and we'll see you first thing in the morning."

"Yes, Coach, Thank you, Coach." 

Charlotte makes her way out of the room and is met by Mal waiting for her along with Tierna, Andi and Rose Lavelle.

"What did Jill want?"

"Relax, Mal, she was just checking in, nothing major. So what are we all doing for the remainder of the evening?"

"I'm supposed to call AJ and I have an assignment to get working on," Tierna responds.

Charlotte looks at the group, "Anyone interested in watching some Netflix? I think I'm a little too wired to do my school stuff right now."

Mal takes her hand and squeezes it, "Rose, you want to come to Andi and my room and watch something?"

"As long as it's nothing scary, I couldn't sleep after Sonny made me watch some horror movie at the last camp."

"No worries there, the last horror type movie I tried to get C.J. to watch, she busted out laughing in the middle of it and started explaining the special effects used in the scene."

"Oh come on, babe, you have to admit it was a pretty bad movie and the holes in the plot were massive."

Mal scrunches her nose and laughs, "She's not wrong, it was pretty bad. But, I'm sure we can find something for all of us to enjoy."

They head up to Mal and Andi's room and get comfortable on the beds watching the movie Step Up.

"Why can't find a guy who looks like Channing Tatum? Or even a guy for that matter?"

They all look at Rose and laugh, "Should we write you a list, Rosie?"

"Be nice or I'm not going to change my mind about being your roommate this season."

Charlotte looks to her girlfriend for clarification, "Umm, am I missing something?"

"Andi and I were talking and were thought that it would be fun to be roommates this season and now that Rose is a member of the Spirit, we decided to make it the three of us. Well, four once your term is done and maybe even five if Drew comes to visit."

"Oh, okay, please tell me that at least one of you can cook."

"Andi is good in the kitchen, so you don't need to worry about me living on fast food." Charlotte leans over and kisses Mal, "Good because I wouldn't want you to starve or put on the fast-food five."

Their phones start buzzing and they look at them and can't help but laugh at the video posted in the team chat of Kelley and Emily scaring Allie and Alex.

"And the games have begun."

Charlotte watches the video, "Is this a normal thing for you guys to jump out and try and scare each other?"

They all nod, "Yep. And you being the rookie means you are going to be a prime target for their shenanigans."

"Awesome, because you know how much I love practical jokes." Charlotte rolls her eyes.

"You love jokes, Babe."

"I do, but because most follow some form of rationale whereas jumping out and scaring someone isn't something that I find all that humourous because it could lead to injury."

"I forgot how much you tend to overthink things sometimes, Charlie."

Charlotte sits up and smiles at Andi, "Is that your way of saying you missed me, Sulli? Cause, if so I missed you, too."

"Time for you to go back to your own room now!" Andi laughs as she says it.

She laughs, "That's where I was headed. Mal, you coming?"

Mal says night to Rose before following her girlfriend down the hallway to her own room. 

With Tierna focused on her schoolwork they decide to share a hug and a brief kiss, so as not to distract her before going their separate ways.

"Love you."

"Love you, too. See you in the morning, Babe."

"Sweet dreams."

Charlotte waits until Mal is back inside her own room before she lets her door close and proceeds to collect what she needs from her suitcase to get ready for bed.

Once under the covers, she looks through social media on her phone before double-checking that her alarms are set, all three of them, that is.

"Night, T."

Tierna turns to face her, "Get lots of sleep, you're gonna need it for tomorrow, if you thought our testing was brutal, this is 10 times that."

"Just what I needed to hear before trying to fall asleep."

Tierna laughs, "Night, Charlie."


	70. Chapter 70

The next few days are a whirlwind for Charlotte as she does everything in her power to prove that he is indeed worthy of a place on the roster amongst her idols, while also dealing with their initiation attempts. So far, the only successful thing that they've come up with was replacing the sugar with salt in her coffee. 

On the last day of camp, the coaches decide to let them have some fun and they play games as well as a scrimmage against each other.

Charlotte finds herself opposite Christen Press and she can't help but wonder if it's a setup to see how she deals with the star's speed and dynamic movements on the field. 

As the whistle sounds out she looks over and sees Mal playing on the opposite side of the pitch. She knows it's time to get down to business and as the ball is moved quickly back and forth between players as they advance down the field. 

Julie Ertz sends a ball over the top for Christen to chase down and Charlotte knows it's a good time to put the pedal down and catch up with the speedster, she gets to the ball just slightly ahead of Press and carefully and skillfully removes the ball from her feet and out the sideline for a throw-in. 

Christen looks down and Charlotte and smiles, before offering a hand up, "Nice recovery." 

"Thank you."

They finish scrimmaging and are called over to the sidelines for a water break.

"Alright, nice work ladies. Everyone grab some water and we'll finish out with a cool down and then recovery back at the hotel." 

Charlotte follows the lead of the veterans and is surprised when approached by Kelley and Emily, "Nice work out there today, Flash." 

"Flash?" She looks at them and they nod before laughing, "In case you didn't already know it, kid, you've got some serious wheels."

"I've been told." 

"So you and Pugh, huh?" Charlotte smiles as she looks over at her girlfriend. 

"Keep making her smile, kid, or else you'll have the entire team on your ass." 

"I plan on making her smile for the rest of our lives." 

Kelley and Emily look at each other and then her, "Does Mal know that?" 

"Yes." 

Mal walks over to them along with Andi, Lindsey and Sam, "Sonny, KO, leave C.J. alone."

"We're not doing anything, just talking."

They start to head out as they are informed that the bus is open and waiting. 

"Babe, what did they say to you?" 

"Nothing much, they called me Flash because I'm fast and then we briefly talked about you and me." 

"Flash, huh?" 

Charlotte nods. 

"I prefer Wikipedia." 

Charlotte laughs, "Only you get to call me that. How, do you think I played today? Do you think it was enough?" 

"Rose has been ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury and Broon won't be playing because of her foot. We'll find out shortly who didn't make the cut and I have every reason to believe that you did. Now, how about we get on the bus and shower together back at the hotel?"

"I like that plan." 

Later on in the day, they all anxiously await the phone calls confirming their place on the team for the upcoming tournament.

Slowly and surely the calls come and Charlotte hugs both Tierna and Mal when they get their calls. With her phone not ringing, she assumes the worst and Mal can only and attempt to reassure her.

When there is a knock on the door, Tierna gets up to answer it and lets the coach in the room. 

"Charlotte?" 

"I know, better luck next time."

"I wanted to deliver the news to you personally that you've made the roster, congratulations." 

Charlotte looks at her in disbelief, "I made the team?" 

Jill laughs, "You made the team."

Charlotte wraps her arms around Jill before stepping back, "Sorry, I got a little overexcited. Thank you, Coach, I promise that I won't let you down."

"Just keep putting in the work like you have the last few days and we'll call it even, okay?" 

Charlotte nods and smiles, "I can do that." 

"Good. I'll see you in the morning ladies." 

Jill leaves the players in the room and Charlotte finds herself wrapped in a hug first from Tierna and then Mal kisses her, "Congratulations, Babe." 

"I, umm, wow, I should sit." 

Tierna and Mal laugh at her antics before Tierna collects her phone, "I'll be at Sulli's if you need me. Do me a favour and lock the door if you decide to do anything non-PG rated, okay." 

"T?" 

"Yeah?" Tierna looks back at Charlotte.

"Thanks, for believing in me." 

"Thanks for not making me look like a fool. I'll see you guys afterwards." 

Tierna leaves the room and Mal walks over and puts the lock on the door before returning to Charlotte and leading her to the bed. They begin sharing slow kisses and gradually the pace and need increases as they help each other out of their shirts. 

Bang, bang

"Open up!" 

"One second." 

Mal leans in and smiles as she kisses Charlotte, "We'll pick this up after." 

Charlotte nods before collecting their shirts from the floor and throwing Mal's or what she thinks is Mal's shirt towards her. They each put their shirts on before unlocking and opening the door. 

Kelley reaches in and grabs Charlotte's hand, pulling her out of the room, "Let's go, rookie, drinks are on you." 

"Umm, you do realize that I'm not old enough to drink yet, right?"

"Right, kinda forgot about that. New plan, you're buying me supper." 

"Worms, leave the kid alone; I'm sure she would much rather celebrate with Mal, than you and based on the fact that they are wearing each other's shirts, you may have already interrupted them." 

Kelley looks them over and realizes the state of their attire, taking a step back and laughing, "Sorry about that."

Mal smiles, "No, you're not." 

Kelley shakes her head and laughs, "You're right, I'm really not." 

Charlotte laughs and takes Mal's hand, "So, about supper, can we join y'all, because I really could use something to eat." 

They hear Emily mumble, "Dessert" under her breath and all start laughing at the two blushing youngsters. 

Alex smiles at them, "There is a bunch of us going, how about I send you the address and you can meet us there." 

"Sounds good, thank you, Alex." 

As the group of veteran players make their way to the elevator, Charlotte and Mal share a quick kiss before Mal heads down the hall to her room to get changed into more suitable going out clothing and to touch up her make up. Charlotte changes as well and then ensures that the small amount of makeup she wears is on point before putting her shoes on. 

The door opens and Tierna and Andi walk in, "Hey, you guys coming to the restaurant?" 

"Yeah, I just need to change."

After a short car ride, they arrive at the restaurant and find themselves at a table with the remainder of the team as well as Ali Krieger, who has joined her girlfriend and friend's to eat. 

They have an enjoyable time with the group and take their teasing all in stride, Charlotte finds herself really fitting in with the team, especially the younger players while also enjoying the depth of conversation provided by the veteran players.

Charlotte whispers in Mal's ear that she is going to the washroom and Mal offers to join her. The two players getting up from the table draws more than a few comments and they shake their heads and laugh as they walk away. 

Once inside the washroom, Mal takes Charlotte's hand and pulls her inside a stall before planting a hard, needy, kiss on her. This leads to a makeout session in the confined area, which is interrupted by someone clearing their throat. 

"Mal?" 

"Yeah?"

"You guys decent?" 

They both laugh, "Yes, Linds we're decent." 

"Okay, so, I was elected to let you guys know that some of us are going to be heading to a club for drinks and dancing." 

"And neither of us is old enough to accompany you guys." 

"Yeah, sorry." 

They fix their clothes before walking out of the stall, "It's okay, Linds; I think we both want to head back to the hotel, anyways." 

Lindsey lets out an awkward laugh, "Kinda looks like that. Anyways, I'm going to head out and look after my bill and I'll see the two of you tomorrow." 

Mal hugs Lindsey, "Thanks, Linds." 

Lindsey smiles and winks at them, "Have fun and welcome to the team, Charlie." 

"Thank you." 

Lindsey leaves them and they take time to fix their clothes and makeup before making their way back out to the table. 

Charlotte looks after paying for their food and drinks while Mal lets everyone know they are heading back to the hotel. 

Once back at the hotel, Tierna collects what she needs for the night and morning before swapping rooms and places with Mal, so they can have the room to themselves. 

"Now, where were we?" 

Charlotte kisses her collarbone, "Right about here." 

The next while is spent with the two becoming reacquainted with each other before laying together under the sheets.

As Mal's phone lets out a buzz for an incoming text message, Charlotte realizes that she hasn't even relayed her good news to her Mom, sister or even Finn. She sits up and quickly sends out a message to all of them letting them know she made the team and will call them in the morning with more information. 

"Mal, is it okay if I call my Grams and Papa and tell them?" 

"Of course, can they fly? Because if so we need to get them tickets." 

"Tickets, how do I get tickets?" Charlotte looks at Mal and Mal laughs at her, "We each have a certain amount of friends and family tickets available to us for each game." 

"I don't even know if I'm going to be playing or when, I'm going to be playing, though." 

"Then we are just going to have to ensure that they have tickets for all the games. I'm going to check in with my parents while you call your Grandparents, is it okay if I tell them?" 

"It's fine." 

They share a kiss before each takes their phone and dials the number

Charlotte listens to the ringing until finally, her Grandmother's voice comes on the phone. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey, Grams." 

"Charlotte, dear, is that you?" 

"Yes, Grams, it's me. I'm sorry for calling so late, but I have some news to share with you and Papa; is he there?" 

"I'm here, Charlie, what's the news?" 

"I made the US roster for the SheBelieves tournament!" 

"The senior team?" 

"Yes, the senior team, Papa; I did it! Now, I have two questions for both of you, are your passports up to date and how would you feel about coming to watch the games and maybe me playing." 

"That would be wonderful dear and yes, our passports are both up to date. Will Mallory be playing as well?" 

"Yes, she made the team as well. I shouldn't keep you but Mom will be in touch with your guys about travel arrangements, okay?" 

"Okay." 

"Love you both and I can't wait to see you." 

"Love you and we're proud of both of you. Give that girl of yours a kiss and hug and we'll see you soon." 

Charlotte laughs, "I will, bye, now." 

"Bye."

Charlotte smiles as she watches Mal type away on her phone. 

"You know the only thing that could make this day even better?" 

Mal gives her a look, "I would say falling asleep in each other's arms, but knowing you as well as I do, you're currently thinking about ice cream." 

She nods while pulling on some comfies and grabbing her wallet, "I'm going to hit up that convenience store down the block, do you want anything?" 

"Suprise me." 

"Love you. Back soon." Charlotte is out the door before Mal can even mention the fact that she once again left her phone as well as room key behind.

Mal hears Charlotte's phone buzz and looks at the screen

New Message

Kenz: CONGRATS!!!!!! So tickets?? 

Mal tries to unlock the phone to respond to the message and finds out that her girlfriend has finally smartened up and put a password on it. Out of curiosity, she turns on Charlotte's laptop and is met with a password screen as well. 

Mal looks at the screen trying to figure out what she would use as a password, knowing Charlotte is slightly forgetful, it would have to be something that she would remember. 

She types, "MALLY" and is informed it's incorrect. She types, "CAPTAIN MALLY" and the screen comes to life in front of her. 

Despite being curious, she skips over the folders on the desktop now renamed, "Sputnik and Apollo" in favour of launching Netflix and presses play on the first rom-com she finds. 

20 minutes later, she hears Charlotte banging on the door and calling her name. She gets up and lets her in, finding that she has purchased more than just ice cream. 

"What did you buy now?" 

"Candy and a novel." 

"Did you remember the ice cream?"

Charlotte pulls out two pints of Ben and Jerry's, "Yep, and I even remembered to grab spoons." 

"Impressive, now how you come over here and finish watching the movie with me." 

Charlotte takes off her shoes and climbs up on the bed beside Mal, "How did you?" 

"Babe, your password is my nickname, it didn't take much for me to figure it out." 

"I figured that I should be smarter and safer about things after what happened with Ash and her finding out." 

"Good plan. Now hand me the cookie dough." 

"Yes, dear." 


	71. Chapter 71

Charlotte and Mal sit amongst their teammates having breakfast and determining amongst themselves what they are going to do for the few days they have off before making the trip to Columbus, Ohio for their opening round matchup against Germany.

"Hey, C.J. I was thinking, I know you have schoolwork to do but you deserve to have a break from it and I was wondering if you wanted to see if you could get into the Astronaut Training Experience thingy for later today rather than waiting a couple of months for it." 

Charlotte's eyes light up and a smile crosses her face, "Totally! That would be awesome, but what about you? I know you don't want to take part in it." 

"Florida, beaches, need I say more?" 

"Umm, well, I would very much prefer you not to do any beaches without me, but I really want to do the training! I guess I should book it and then get a rental car." Charlotte hugs Mal and kisses her on the cheek, "Love you." 

Charlotte makes her way out of the meal room apologizing as she almost crashes into a group of the girls. 

"What's got into her?" 

Mal laughs, "She excited about getting to be an astronaut for the day." 

Allie, Kelley, Emily and Sam all look at her with a puzzled look on their face. 

"She's heading to the Kennedy Centre to do the Astronaut Training Experience." 

"You're not going with her? I mean will she be okay going by herself?" 

"She'll be fine and I have absolutely no interest in being turned inside out and upside down; I'd probably lose my breakfast in the process. I'm hitting the beach with you guys and working on my tan." 

They laugh, "As if you need a tan."

Charlotte returns a few minutes later with her bag, fresh clothes and her hair tied up in a very messy ponytail. 

"I have to leave now if I want to get in today." She kisses Mal quickly on the lips and is gone. 

Charlotte short on time opts to just pay for someone to drive her to the center, even though she knows it will cost a premium. 

New Message

C.J.: On my way, forgot to say I love you and have fun today - please don't drown. 

Mal: I'll do my best. Love you. 

While Mal heads upstairs and gets changed into her bikini, pulling shorts and a t-shirt over top and then packs a bag of stuff she will need for the day before joining the others and making the walk to the beach, Charlotte is in her element learning all about the policies and procedures and testing that takes place prior to lift off. 

Mal laughs when she is sent a video of her girlfriend having the time of her life as she floats around. 

"When I grow up I want to be an astronaut, Mally!" 

Mal watches the video a couple of times and each time laughs harder than the previous at Charlotte's antics. It also plants a small seed in her brain as to whether she would be happier pursuing a career within her chosen field or playing pro ball. 

"S'up, Mal? Why so glum, chum?" 

Mal finds herself surrounded by the kids of the team, minus Rose who stayed back at the hotel to get treatment before heading home to Ohio in the morning. 

"Just thinking about the future and how C.J. and I may have different plans for it that's all." 

Sam looks at her, "Have you spoken with her about it?" 

Mal nods, "Yes. I guess I'm just wondering if I'm holding her back from reaching her full potential because I'm not on the same level intellectually as her." 

"Mal, you love her, right?" 

"Of course, I do." 

"And she loves you, right?" 

"Yes." 

"Then you need to trust that she knows what she wants and needs in her heart and would tell you if something was lacking or needed to change. As far as I can tell, Charlie is an open book when it comes to you, how she feels about you and your future together. Talk to her, if you are feeling insecure and needing reassurance; but as far as I can tell that that girl is head over heels in love with you and you have nothing to worry about."

Mal hugs Sam, "Thanks, I needed that. I'm really glad that you guys are finally getting to know C.J." 

"She's actually pretty funny and seriously smart! I was listening to her speak with Alyssa and got lost when they started talking about biomechanics." 

Mal laughs, "Welcome to my world, a good chunk of the time I have no idea what she is talking about but it's amazing to watch how excited and animated she gets talking about things." 

Sam smiles at Mal. "You think she's the one?" 

"The one? Oh, you mean the one. I really do, I can't even put into words the way I feel when I'm around her and how much I miss her when I'm not." 

"Sounds like wedding bells are in your future." 

Mal shrugs, "What about you and Pat, you guys planning on making it official anytime soon?" 

"Probably but neither one of us wants anything big or flashy, we might just end up at the city and get it done, then spend the money we save on a honeymoon." 

"Boring! I want a wedding with all my friends and family and a beautiful dress and fancy cake and honeymoon; in other words, I want it all!" 

"Does Charlie know that?" 

"Not exactly, the finer details haven't really come up for discussion yet only the fact that she's the one who will be doing the proposing because she's better at that kind of thing than me."

Sam laughs, "Alright enough about the future, how about we check out the water and get cooled off?" 

Mal stands up, "Race you." 

Later on that evening, Charlotte returns to the hotel arms full of bags. 

Mal looks at her, "Do I even want to know what you bought?" 

"I bought some stuff for Marls." 

"And?" 

"You and me and oh, where's Rose? Has she left yet? I got something for her. Oh, I see her, be right back."

Charlotte pulls a shirt out of one of the bags and makes her way over to where Rose is sitting and chatting with Sam. 

Mal watches as Charlotte interrupts the conversation and hands Rose the shirt. Rose lets out a squeal before hugging Charlotte and showing off the shirt that has dogs as dressed up as astronauts. 

"It's so cute! Thank you, so much!"

"You're welcome." 

Charlotte walks back over to Mal laughing and picks the bags up," I'm gonna bring these up to my room." 

Mal follows along and once in the room they lay on the bed together and recap their days. 

"It was so fun, Mally; I really wish you would have come with me." 

Mal kisses her, "I promise to come with you next time and you can teach me everything there is to know, okay?" 

Charlotte smiles at her, "Okay. So how was your day? Did you have fun with the girls?" 

"I always have fun with the girls, but I missed you and I'm glad that you're back."

"Missed you, Baby." They hold a kiss and then hug. 

After having supper with their teammates, Charlotte heads up to her room on the pretense of wanting to get some schoolwork and packing done before they relocate to Ohio in the morning. 

She lets Mal know that once she is finished her assignment she is planning on trying to get a bit of writing done. Rather than Mal just sitting and watching her work, she opts to spend time hanging out and chatting with Lindsey, Rose, Sam and Emily. 

Mal and her share a hug and a few kisses, before she leaves Charlotte in her room to get down to business. 

Charlotte puts in her headphones and turns on a playlist while she reads ahead and completes the assignment listed prior to submitting it and then starting on her next one. After growing a little bored with it, she decides to take a gander at Revelation and see if she can make any progress with it. 

Two hours later and she has completely revamped the storyline of the novel and come up with what she believes is a better way to introduce readers to the Secure Future Foundation, why it was formed and how the idea of microchipping everyone came to be. She continues typing away as the words now begin to find their way from inside her head to the tip of her fingers and onto the screen barely even registering when Tierna returns to the room for the evening. 

As her eyes begin to get tired and her fingers cramped, she looks at the time on her phone and is shocked to find that it's nearing 2 in the morning. She shuts down and completes her nighttime routine, climbing back into bed as quietly as possible before double-checking her alarms and then quickly falling asleep. 

The next morning as the first alarm sounds out she turns over to press the button to stop the noise and comes face to face with a wide-awake Tierna. 

"What time did you end up finally calling it quits?" 

"Around 2, I'm kinda exhausted." 

"Be glad today's just a travel day and you don't have to worry about training on top. I know how important school is to you Charlie, but you need to make sure to look after yourself as well, okay?" 

Charlotte nods, "Won't happen again, T." 

"Good. Did you at least finish packing last night?" 

Charlotte smiles, "Mal made sure to remind me to pack before I got lost in my computer screen, so I'm good. I'm going to sleep for a bit longer, can you make sure that I'm awake in time to grab some breakfast, please?" 

Tierna climbs out of bed, "Make you a deal, I'm grabbing a shower and then packing up; I'll wake you up when I'm done and we can go to breakfast together."

"I'll take it, thanks, T." Charlotte curls back up and falls back to sleep, waking up to the familiar smell of coffee in the room.

Opening her eyes, she smiles when she sees Mal looking down on her and holding two coffees. 

Charlotte sits up in the bed and yawns as Mal hands her a coffee, "Where's T? She was supposed to wake me up." 

"She messaged me and said that you were sleeping in because you had a long night; I told her to go ahead to breakfast and that I would get you up. So, how late were you up and did you make any progress?"

"2 o'clock and I made a ton of progress on Revelation; I ended up scrapping a good chunk of what I had already written and redoing it but now I can see light at the end of the tunnel, I know how to introduce everyone and why their families signed them up to be chipped in the first place." 

Mal smiles, "I'm glad that you've made progress on it, I know how much it's been bothering you not to be able to complete it." 

"A couple more writing sessions like last night and I'll be done it. I'm almost sad at the prospect of its completion though as it means the end of The Known Universe."

"Those characters are an extension of you and like your second family, so it's only natural that you would be sad to be finished with them; but you need to be happy that you are getting the chance to give them all proper closure with Revelation."

Charlotte leans over and kisses Mal's cheek before putting her head on her shoulder, "I'm glad that you understand me and my process. Love you." 

"Love you. Now, do you think that you can make yourself presentable so that we can get some breakfast because all I've had is this coffee and it really isn't very good."

Charlotte laughs, "I can do that." She heads into the bathroom to complete her routine before changing into the comfies she put out to travel in. "Let's get some food, beautiful."

Once the team has all had breakfast, they head back up to their rooms to finish packing and chill for a bit before they need to meet back up in the lobby and catch the bus to the airport. 

As the plane to Columbus takes off, Charlotte already has her head back and is soon out cold, only waking up when Mal kisses her to let her know they are getting ready to land. 

Charlotte takes her jaw in her hand and pulls Mal towards her before kissing her on the lips and then smiling at her. 

"I love you, Mally."

"I love you." 

"Oh my God, can the two of you just stop with the cuteness? We get it, you love each other, but some of us are still alone." 

"Shut it, Sonny!" 

Arriving at the hotel, they collect their room keys and make their way up to drop their belongings before most opt to head out in search of food and entertainment. 

"So, Sam has procured one of the vans and is planning on driving some us to a mall, you wanna go, Babe?" 

Charlotte wanting to chill or write thinks about it but knowing how important it is to engage in team bonding nods her head enthusiastically at Mal, "Sure, sounds like fun." 

Mal laughs, "You're a really bad liar, babe; but thank you for indulging me." 

After arriving at the mall and having some lunch they head in separate directions, with Emily, Lindsey and Sam joining them as they wander around checking out what stores the mall has. 

Charlotte noticing the Barnes and Noble listing on the mall directory asks the group if they can check it out once they have gotten their fill of clothing and accessories shops. She carries around Mal's purchases while her girlfriend continues to shop until her heart's content. 

"Alright, I guess it's time to check out some reading material. Meet back up in an hour?" Lindsey looks at them all as they nod before making their way inside. 

Mal takes Charlotte's hand, "Let me guess, we are headed to the sci-fi section first?" 

"Yeah, I just want to see if they have the books and maybe ask an employee how well they've been selling here." 

"How are you planning on doing that?" 

"Look at me, I'm cute and got a sexy smile; I can make anyone talk." 

"You forgot, full of yourself." 

Charlotte laughs, "And that's why you love me." 

Mal kisses her cheek, "Maybe." 

They head off in the direction of the science fiction section and Charlotte flags down an employee, "Can I help you find something today?" 

Charlotte smiles, "I was wondering if you have the known universe books by J.C. Glass?" 

"Let me just check the computer; I'll be right back." 

He returns and lets them know that there is currently only one copy of "Into The Unknown" listed in their system. 

"Must be popular books if you only have one copy available."

"We had them up as part of a display for the author of the month a few weeks ago and they got cleared out once they made the announcement that the movie adaptation was a go. So, would you like me to show you where the book should be located?" 

Charlotte gives him a smile, "I'd really like to read them in order, but thank you for the offer." 

"We could order them in for you if you like or have them shipped to your house." 

"It's fine, we're from out of town and I'm sure we'll be able to locate them elsewhere. Thank you for your help, Have a good one."

They walk back towards where the magazines are and grab a couple to leaf through while they wait for the others. 

"Whatcha thinking, C.J.?"

"Just disappointed that I didn't know about being chosen as the author of the month."

"I'm certain the decision was made at the corporate office and wasn't really advertised anywhere but in-store." 

"I'm sure, guess that would explain the rise in sales over the past few weeks."

"Or the fact that they are now available in 10 languages and counting, could also help to explain the increase. Now, how about you buy me a fancy coffee while we wait and try to chill out."

"I'm sorry for taking over the conversation and day with my alter ego issues." 

Mal laughs, "It's fine, now, coffee?" 

Charlotte stands, "I'll be back shortly." 

Returning to the hotel after the outing, they spend the balance of the day chilling in the room and watching some Netflix together, before having supper with their teammates and calling it an early night to ensure they have plenty of rest before they resume training in the morning. 


	72. Chapter 72

The next day after completing training, team meetings and then media in advance of the beginning of the tournament, they sit in the hotel's lobby waiting for the shuttle to arrive with their family members.

Charlotte runs and wraps her arms around her Grandparents, holding them tightly as Mal watches on, smiling and laughing.

"Hey, Mal." Mal hugs Mackenzie, "How was your flight?"

"Papa fell asleep and was snoring loud enough that I could hear him through my headphones, but, other than that, not too bad. How's C.J. doing with everything?"

"Good, she fits in really well with the girls. You might need to talk with her about the other thing though, she needs to keep her focus on playing right now, and she was up late writing the other night."

"Okay, I'll talk to her about it. How are you doing? What's it like having her here with you?"

"I'm good. It's been awkward at times having C.J. here; I mean, I love her so much, but at the same time, she is also here pushing for playing time, and it could be mine that she takes. She had an excellent camp, and everyone has been impressed with her speed and ball control."

Mackenzie hugs Mal, "I get it, and I'm fairly certain that she is fully aware of that as well, but you guys both promised to give your all both on the field and off, and I don't think either of you would be happy with taking it easy on each other, you're a team, and part of that involves pushing each other to be the very best that you can be regardless of everything else."

Mal looks at her, "Umm, who are you, and what have you done to Kenz?"

Mackenzie laughs, "I've been seeing someone who's studying sports psychology; we may have discussed the two of you."

"Now, that makes more sense. I need to go and say hello to your Mom and Grandparents."

Mal and Mackenzie walk back over to where Charlotte is entertaining her family with stories of her astronaut experience.

Mal hugs them all and steps back.

"When do your parents arrive, Mal?" Carol asks her as they hug.

"Not for another two hours, so we are just going to see each other in the morning."

"We should all have supper together, perhaps after the game tomorrow?"

"I'm sure they would like that; my Dad is like C.J. and never turns down food."

They help to carry up the bags to the rooms and then sit down in Grams and Papa's room to continue the conversations for a while.   
  
  


Mackenzie stands up and walks over to Charlotte, "Can I use your laptop to check my email?"

"What's wrong with using your phone, like everyone else?" Mackenzie gives her a look and Charlotte clues in that it's not about her laptop or checking her email at all. Standing up she kisses Mal's cheek before following her sister out of the room. "I'll be back, beautiful."

"What's up, Kenz?"

"I have the ring case in my suitcase, do you want to see it or wait?"

"Are you kidding me? I want to see it now!"

Mackenzie slides her card in and opens the door once it shows green. Walking over to her bag, she slides her hand underneath her clothes before pulling out a box and then handing it to her sister.

"Did you look at it?" Mackenzie nods and smiles.

Charlotte opens up the box and removes the ring case from it, looking it over and smiling as she opens it up to show the velvet lining where the real ring will be placed.

"It's perfect!" She stares at it, and the longer she does, the bigger the grin on her face becomes.

"So, when are we going ring shopping and have you figured out how you are going to propose yet?"

"Mal will be coming back home for a week after the tournament, then spending a few days at her parents before heading to Washington for camp, so we can do it once she leaves and still working on the when and how I'm going to do it."

"Okay, next thing on the agenda; Mal, told me that you were up late writing one night. I know all about you and how you get completely immersed in the writing process, but right now isn't the time to be doing that. I know you are pressuring yourself to get Revelation finished, but you need to focus on being Charlotte Gordon, the soccer player and not J.C. Glass for the time being, or at least tone it down, okay? I don't want you to get burnt out or miss out on your dream of playing for the USWNT because of something that can wait. I already told them that you had a setback and it could be six months before the book is done, so take your time, spend time being all loved up with Mal and write something that you can be proud of."

Charlotte smiles at her big sister, "Thanks, Kenz, for everything."

Mackenzie smiles, "No matter what, I'll always have your back C.J., even if it pains me to admit that you got the brains in the family."

"Umm, you forgot the looks as well."

"Way to ruin the nice bonding moment we had going on."

"Sorry, but it's the truth and I've always been told to speak the truth."

"And I take it all back, find someone else to watch yours." Mackenzie makes it as if she's walking towards the door.

"Kenz, come back, I love you!"

Mackenzie laughs, "Love you too, superstar."

"Hey Kenz, does Mom know about the Ring Pop case or the proposal?"

"She knows about the proposal because you've already told her like a million times that you can't wait to marry Mal, but as for the case, no; I figured that it is something between you and my soon to be sister in law."

"I'm not sure how she will react to the news that I'm proposing with a Ring Pop."

"Honestly, Mom would probably laugh and then ask where the real bling is; because we all know you can afford it or should we say that J.C. Glass can afford it."

Charlotte nods, "Just because I can afford it doesn't mean I don't have to be smart about it though; I want Mal to be able to wear whatever ring I choose and for it not to draw too many questions if you know what I mean."

"I get it. So question, are you going to be wearing a ring as well once it happens?"

"I hadn't really thought about it, should I? I mean I don't know, is it normal for both of us to wear one?"

"I think it depends on the couple, maybe that's something you speak to Mal about and see what she thinks."

"Yeah, but I can't exactly ask her right now because then she's going to clue into the fact that I'm planning on proposing soon and I want it to be a surprise."

"Then ask her after you get your yes. We should probably go and rescue your soon to be fiancee from our family now because I'm assuming you guys will want to spend some time together before bed or in bed."

"I should actually get to doing some of my readings for school, I'm falling a bit behind where I wanted to be."

Mackenzie tucks the ring case box back underneath her clothing and they head back next door to rescue Mal.   
  
  


As they walk in all eyes are on Charlotte, "What's going on? Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something? Do I have something on my face?"

Her Mom, Mal and her Grams and Papa all burst out laughing, "See told you it would freak her out Papa."

"You're right, Mal, she did have the deer caught in the headlights look."

"Should I be concerned about what else you all were talking about?"

Mal looks at her and smiles, "Not at all, Charlie The Magnificent! I'm curious to know if you ever managed to get the rabbit to pop out of your hat."

Charlotte's eyes go big and Mackenzie bursts out laughing.

"Grams, Papa how could you, that was supposed to stay between us!"

"Babe, it's adorable that you wanted to be a magician when you were younger and kinda explains how you shuffle cards really well."

"I also wanted to be a circus clown at one point as well."

"Not so adorable, babe, clowns are scary."

Charlotte laughs, "So were the balloon animals that I tried to make. Anyway, it's getting late and I've got some reading to do for school. Babe, you coming with or staying here and learning more about my early years?"

"I'm coming with, I promised Sulli that we would watch some movie before bed even though I don't really want too. "

Mal and Charlotte hug everyone and wish them all goodnight before making their way back to Mal and Andi's room. Once outside the door, they share a long hug and a few kisses before separating for the evening.

"Sweet dreams, beautiful. Love you."

  
"Love you too, C.J. Please don't stay up too late reading or writing tonight, okay?"

"I promise although, I'm excited and terrified for tomorrow and not even sure if I'll be able to sleep, but I'm going to do my best to turn in early. I wish you could stay with me tonight, keep me calm and help me sleep." 

"I wish that I could as well, but, we need to abide by the rules and that means sleeping in our own beds tonight."

"Rules, suck!"

Mal laughs before kissing her on the cheek, "I can't wait to take to the field with you tomorrow." 

"I don't even know if I'll get a chance to play during the tournament, Mal. I mean there is so much talent on this team that I'm constantly in awe and I really don't know where I fit in or if I fit in."

"Babe, Jill wouldn't have selected you for the roster unless she had a plan for you and honestly, I pity any team that has to deal with both you and Pressy zipping up and down the lines."

"You're not exactly slow yourself, beautiful and I really hope that you are right."

Mal smiles, "Stop overthinking it, the coaching staff and girls were all impressed by you and I have no doubt that you are going to make your debut sometime during the tournament, you just need to be patient and seize the opportunity when it comes. I'm proud of you, Charlotte Gordon, and I love you so very much. Now, get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning." 

"Love you, Captain Mally and I'll see you in the morning." 

After making sure that Mal is inside her room, Charlotte makes her way back to her own room and slides the keycard in the slot before opening the door and letting herself in. She plugs her phone in before grabbing her comfies to get changed and completes her nighttime routine.

As she settles in with her book, Tierna walks in and goes about completing her own nighttime routine before climbing under the covers of her own bed. 

Tierna grabs a book from her nightstand and they both read in silence until there is a knock on the door, followed by one of the staff popping their head in to do a room check. 

With that complete, they both decide to call it a night, turn off the lamps and shut their eyes in hopes of falling into a deep sleep. 

The next morning, Charlotte is awake and up before the alarm goes off and decides to get dressed and head downstairs to the meal room and see if there is any coffee. Filling her cup she takes a seat and then focuses on controlling her breathing and the thoughts that are circling around in her head. 

Alyssa ever the early riser pours herself a cup before taking a seat across from Charlotte. 

"Penny for your thoughts." 

Charlotte smiles at the keeper, "It feels like there's a party going on inside me."

"That's pretty normal. I still get nervous before every game."

"How do you deal with it? I mean, you're a starter so I guess it helps to get into the game right away, but, I'm going to be sitting on the bench and doing my best not to look a fool when I finally get my chance." 

Alyssa smiles and laughs, "Looking like a fool in your first game and even second is a rite of passage kid, it happens to all of us. The best thing you can do is to take a look around you and realize that there are 10 other girls on the field who've got your back as well as everyone else on the bench and in the stands. You will be fine, Charlie, trust me."

"Thank you."

Alyssa nods before standing up, "I'm off to see if I can find a paper; my routine includes finishing a crossword with my coffee." 

Charlotte smiles, "Good luck with that."

"I'll see you in a little while." 

Charlotte stays sitting and takes her phone out of her pocket, checking over social media and dropping hearts and comments on some of her friends' and teammates' pictures and posts. 

Soon some of the other members of the USWNT begin making their way in to have breakfast and Charlotte finishes off her coffee before walking over and grabbing a tray and placing some food on it as well as a fresh cup of coffee and juice. 

She feels some arms wrap around her from behind and smiles, "Morning beautiful." 

"Ah, I always knew you loved me!"

"Sonny!" 

Charlotte turns around and shakes her head at the fact that Mal is standing and laughing at her for mistaking Emily for her. The other girls at the table join in on the laughing once they see what happened. 

"Really, Mally? You gonna play me like that?" 

"Not sorry, I was told you could use a cheer up and Sonny was more than willing to help me out." 

Charlotte looks over at the team's number one and is met with a smile and laugh. 

"You got me and you're right, I did need a cheer up." 

"What's going on in the beautiful mind of yours, C.J.?" 

"Just nervous." 

"And thinking too much. After our meeting I thought that we could check in with my folks for a bit before doing some chilling, what do you think?" 

"Sounds good to me." 

After finishing off their breakfast the players take their seats in the meeting room as some final information is relayed to them about their German counterparts and the starting lineup for the match-up unveiled. 

As she expected Charlotte sees her name and number on the sub list for the match, be she is happy that Mal is getting the start in front of the Columbus crowd. 

The players are dismissed and Mal and Charlotte make their way to the room where her parents are staying. 

They are surprised to find the door propped open and both Mal's and Charlotte's family members gathered and chatting with each other. 

"About time the two of you got here, we've been waiting before heading to get food and I'm starving and in dire need of caffeine." 

"Don't be such a drama queen, Kenz; you and I both know that you've probably only been awake as long as it took you to make yourself presentable and come here."

Mackenzie laughs, "Kinda true. So what's the word, do we have any starters in our midst?" 

"Mal is starting upfront with Alex and Megan. I'm keeping the bench warm." 

Mal squeezes her hand and looks at her, "I know Mally, I will get my chance; in the meantime, I can't wait to see a certain #11 running up and down the pitch in front of me." 

"Oh, so you're looking forward to watching Popp play?" 

Charlotte looks at her and kisses her cheek, "Not the #11 I meant and you know it." 

"I for one am looking forward to #12 making her debut." 

"I wanted #14 but, Sofia beat me to it." 

"Next time, Babe. We should let these guys get some food in them before they all get hangry."

Charlotte nods and they all share hugs and well wishes before the players make their way back to their rooms.

"Whatever shall we do until we need to get ready?" Charlotte looks at Mal and raises her eyebrows making her girlfriend laugh. "Not that, but definitely we can do some kissing, cuddling and sleeping." 

"Sounds perfect to me." Charlotte leads them into her room and finds Tierna already on her bed watching a movie on the television. 

"Okay if we watch with, T?"

Tierna nods and they both climb under the covers and get comfy. 

"Did you set an alarm?" 

Charlotte grabs her phone and double checks, "Yep, done and done." 

Mal kisses her, "Love you." 

"Love you, too." 

A/N If you've read this far and enjoyed it, then you can take a moment and hit the kudos button and or comment. 


	73. Chapter 73

Charlotte looks at herself in the mirror, she's gotten used to wearing the colours of her country, but this time it's different and it feels that way.

She looks down at her arm and tattoo, rubbing it with her hand, "I wish you were here, Dad." Closing her eyes she takes a few deep breaths in an attempt to fight back the emotions of the moment and then makes her way back over to her bag to finish packing the essentials. With that done she waits for Tierna to finish in the bathroom before heading in to brush her teeth, wash her face and hands, re-apply the small amount of makeup she wears and then brush her hair.

Tierna pokes her head in, "Ready?"

Charlotte nods, "As I'll ever be."

They put on their pullovers and jackets, before collecting their bags and phones and making their way out and to the elevator.   
  
  


As they wait for the elevator, some of the players begin to join them.

"How are you feeling, Flash?"

Charlotte rolls her eyes at the nickname before responding, "Okay, nervous."

"We've all been there kid, you'll be fine once you get your first touch out of the way. Where's your girl at? Figured the two of you would be glued to each other."

"Mal is down in the lobby chatting with my sister."

"Sister, huh?"

"Don't even think about trying to corrupt my sister with that smile of yours, KO, she's straight and won't fall for it."

Kelley laughs, "Good to know, but, I was simply making an observation about the fact that you have a sister. She older or younger?"

"Older, her name is Mackenzie or Kenz."

"Cool. So you going to be good to go if you get the call today?"

"I plan to be."

Kelley smiles and puts her hand on Charlotte's shoulder, "You'll be fine, Cardinal."

Charlotte smiles, "Thanks, KO."  
  
  


Walking out of the elevator and into the lobby, Charlotte does a scan of the area before spotting her sister and girlfriend and then making her way over to them.

"Hey. What are we talking about?"

"You, as always, C.J."

"What did I do or not do this time?"

"Mal was just telling me about how finally put passwords on your phone and computer."

Charlotte nods, "Yeah. But surprisingly, Ash borrowed the books from Jessie and has actually been reading them. She's also been sending me messages about them, not always good but nothing that I wouldn't expect."

"Let me guess she got to the Sarah part and gave you a mouthful."

Charlotte laughs and nods, "Remind me never to kill off one of the lead characters again, the shippers have been all over me for it; and they apparently have long memories."

Mal and Mackenzie laugh, "Just imagine the flack you would've gotten if Sarah was part of a gay couple rather than straight."

"Note to self, don't kill off any more lead characters, gay or straight."

They both laugh at Charlotte as she says it out loud after making sure there aren't any ears close by to overhear.

"Have you heard from Finn lately?"

Charlotte nods, "Yeah, he sent me a message first thing this morning wishing Mal and I good luck. He also asked if I could get Pressy's autograph for him; I think he's got a crush on her."

"Not a bad choice to crush on." Mal smiles.

Mackenzie smiles and nods causing them both to laugh. "Something you wanna share, Kenz?"

"What? Am I not allowed to appreciate an attractive woman when I see one? I seem to recall someone having a crush on a certain Ryan Reynolds, does this still hold true?"

Charlotte smiles, "Yes. But, honestly, I don't need to be crushing on anyone anymore when the love of my life is right beside me." She takes Mal's hand and kisses her cheek.

"Really, C.J. you went there?"

"Yep!"   
  
  


"Kenz, are you guys going to be warm enough in the stands tonight? I was looking at the temperature and it's definitely, not going to be warm. In fact, they said there is a chance of rain and snow and it's pretty windy as well."

"We'll be fine, you do remember how cold and wet it tends to get in Ottawa or at home, right? Nothing to worry about, Grams and Papa packed for the worst and we are all going to layer up."

"Okay. Good to know."

Mackenzie and Mal smile, "Speaking of Grams and Papa."

Charlotte turns around, smiles and then walks towards her Grandparents, hugging them both with all her might before leading them back over to Mal and Mackenzie.

They all talk for a few minutes before it's time for the players to climb aboard the bus that will drive them to the stadium.

Charlotte hugs her Grandparents and sister before her and Mal climb aboard, settle in their seats and put on the respective pre-game playlists.  
  
  


Stepping off the bus, Charlotte's face lights up with the realization that she is so close to making her dream of playing for the USWNT come true and being here alongside Mal makes it even better and beyond her wildest dreams.

Mal looks back at her and smiles as if knowing what she is thinking before giving her a look that means get a move on. Charlotte catches up to her and they walk inside together as the television cameras and reporters catch and record their entrance into the building.

Walking into the changeroom, the girls try and keep the mood pretty loose as they all go about getting ready for the match in their own way.

Charlotte finds her spot beside Mal's and after putting her bag down, starts the process of getting changed out of her travel clothes into her uniform and pregame wear. Once she puts the initial red layer on she sits down and watches her teammates while listening to her music through her headphones. She feels a hand as Mal reaches over and touches her leg in an attempt to calm and reassure her.

As the time counts down and it gets closer to pregame, Charlotte and Mal both make their way into the shower area and taking the time to fix their hair and then share a hug and quick kiss before returning to listen to the marching orders from the coaching staff and then making their way out for warmups.

With the warmups now complete, and the players get changed into their uniforms, with most opting to put on gloves and a few headbands in an attempt to stay warm during the match. With last minute instructions given, the starters make their way out of the changeroom and take their places opposite their German counterparts and mascots. The subs including Charlotte get layered up before making their way out to the sidelines and bench area.

The starting lineups for each side are announced as they make their way out onto the field alongside their little mascots for the match. Charlotte can't stop smiling as she watches her girlfriend make her way out and lineup for the anthem holding her little mascot's hand.

Mal smiles at her as the anthems play and then once they are finished the mascots run off the field so that the teams can get down to business. Carli wearing the armband on the evening for the US makes her way over and completes the banner exchange and coin toss with Germany's Captain Dzsenifer Marozsan, shaking hands and posing before making her way back over to the sidelines for a team photo.

With all the pregame ceremonies complete the teams take to the field in front of a crowd of 15,000 fans who braved the elements to watch their favourites. Charlotte sits down beside her former Cardinal teammates Andi and Jane and they huddle up together and try to help each other stay warm on the cold and wet, Columbus night.

The opening whistle sounds out and the teams play back and forth for the first several minutes of the game and exchange changes with neither able to capitalize in the opening minutes of the match as they feel each other out.

8 minutes into the game, Alyssa Naeher is forced to come out to and cover the ball before Sara Dabritz can out leg the American defenders on a ball sent ahead by Popp.

A few minutes later, Mal is able to steal the ball from the foot of the defender and tries to make it work with Lindsey who has jumped up on the play but the German player's swarm and regain possession.

12 minutes into the game and once again the American fans and players alike breathe a sigh of relief as the inexperienced defensive pairing of Abby Dahlkemper and Tierna are unable to clear the ball out of the danger zone. Alyssa seeing what is going on and needing to quash the play and settle her players down, dives and covers the ball allowing the teams to reset.

As the wind plays havoc on the field both teams continue to struggle with the conditions. The United States is awarded back to back corners but is unable to find the netting for the second time on the night.

Dabritz has a golden opportunity to get her team on the scoresheet but unfortunately for her, the ball doesn't cooperate and she ends up sending it just wide of the target.

Finally, in the 17th minute of play, Naeher gets her hands on the ball and seeing an opportunity punts it long to Alex Morgan who then flicks it on to Megan Rapinoe, Rapinoe is able to draw the German keeper, Schult off her line and then slots it past her to put the Americans up by one.

The teams continue to share the opportunities for the balance of the half, but at the whistle head inside with the US still maintaining their slim one-goal lead.

Charlotte watches and waits for Mal to come running off the field and they walk inside together to get warmed up and listen to the instructions for the second half.

As they speak and the players do what they need to do, Charlotte and Mal do their best to warm up, go to the washroom, fix their hair and then rest for a few minutes before heading back outside into the frigid evening.

"Mallory, can I speak with you for a moment, please?"

Mal stands up and walks over to Jill, listening and then smiling and nodding at what is said.

"What did Jill want, babe?" Charlotte asks as they make their way back down the tunnel.

"Just told me to keep moving and that I was playing, well."

"Oh, okay."  
  
The second half gets underway and not even a minute in Lindsey gets her chance to fire on an empty goal, but the heavy winds on the evening act as an invisible barrier and the shot falls at the feet of one of the defenders who is then able to clear it out of harms way.

As the winds continue to interfere with the game, the teams experience great difficulties with playing a long game and in turn, have to focus on short crisp passes instead. Soon afterwards, the sky opens up and the rain gives way to snow. 

Charlotte watches from the bench as first Morgan's name is called and she replaces Carli in the midfield and then Savannah takes over for Julie.

With 75 minutes played, German star Alexandra Popp is issued a yellow after taking down Morgan Brian with a needless challenge.

With two more US subs used up and two possible ones to go, Charlotte holds out hope that there is still a chance for her to get into the match and make her debut.

With 10 minutes left in regular time, she hears her name called out along with Allie Long and she follows the veteran player's lead and completes a quick warmup, just enough to get the blood circulating and movement restored after sitting for so long.

Making her way back towards the bench, she removes her jacket and passes it over to one of the staff. She waits in between the two sides and beside the official jumping up and down and trying to keep warm as the play continues on the field and the clock counts downward.

Finally, at the 89th minute of play, the whistle sounds out and the play is blown dead, she stands beside the board and watches as the #11 lights up in red while her #12 lights up in green beside it. 

She knows now what Jill called Mal aside to discuss and it wasn't to do with her play on the evening but to let her know of the plan to bring Charlotte on in her place sometime during the second half. 

The bench yells for Mal to get off the pitch and the referee directs her to the end zone; she turns to watch as Charlotte races down the field and takes up a spot in the box for the corner with a blinding smile lighting up her face. 

Mal's face lights up and her eyes water at the sight of the person she loves most in her life, fulfilling her dream of playing for the USWNT. Making it closer to the bench, she is passed a jacket to put on and watch the last few minutes of the game from the sidelines.

Charlotte takes a deep breath as the whistle sounds and the Germans are finally allowed to take the corner, which is promptly cleared out by the US. She really couldn't tell you what happened for the next few minutes all she remembers is jumping up in the air and celebrating as the final whistle sounds out as the fans who've braved the elements cheer the team's victory. 

She is quickly covered by a jacket as she makes her way around to congratulate the opposition and sees Mal's eyes watering as she wraps her arms around her and holds tight.

"Jill told you that I was coming on in your place didn't she?"

Mal smiles and nods, "Yeah, she thought that both of us would appreciate it and I told her she was right." 

Charlotte looks over at the Coach, "I should probably thank her." 

"Yeah, you should, but after; right now we celebrate." 

"Lead the way, Captain Mally." 

Mal laughs as they make their way around hugging and high fiving their teammates before signing some autographs for fans and then complete their cooldown.

Once inside the changeroom, Mal drags Charlotte over to the shower area and holds her before gently kissing her lips, "I love you."

"Love you, too." They share a few more pecks before returning to their teammates and getting undressed and into comfies to make the trip back to the hotel. Mal and Charlotte smile and lean their heads against each other, reflecting on the evening's events as the bus makes the trip back to the hotel. 

  
As they climb down from the bus, Charlotte sees her family as well as Horace and Karen waiting and runs towards them, hugging each of them. 

"Hey, Babe, you forgot something."

Charlotte turns around and is met by the team and Mal holding a ball in her hand, before tossing it towards her.

"Welcome to the USWNT, Charlotte Gordon." 

Charlotte smiles as the team cheers around her before she hugs her teammates and then thanks the Coaches and in particular, Jill. 

After showering together upon their return to the hotel, Mal and Charlotte get ready to meet up with their teammates and family members for supper and celebrate the victory, along with Charlotte's debut and even the couple themselves.

Returning to the hotel later that night, with the all-clear from Tierna, it takes very little time for the two to find a way to celebrate on their own before falling asleep in each other's arms.


	74. Chapter 74

The following morning and part of the afternoon are spent with the players completing a team recovery, meals and then a game recap meeting before the players are freed up for the balance of the day.

With the adults out checking out the sights and engaged in conversation amongst each other, Mackenzie feels like the odd one out and decides just to head back to the hotel and hope that the players are freed of obligations for the day and she can hang with her sister and Mal.

Returning to the hotel, she sends Charlotte a message asking if they are able to hang out and for her room number, which she's already forgotten. Met with no response, Mackenzie gets off on the floor she knows her sister is staying on and contemplates just knocking on doors and seeing who answers. 

"If you're looking for Mal and Charlie, they went to grab something to eat." Mackenzie turns and smiles at a group including Kelley, Alex and Allie, "You're Charlie's sister, Mackenzie, right?"

Mackenzie smiles and nods, "You can call me Kenz, everyone else does." 

"We're just heading out to get something to eat ourselves and maybe check out some shops, you're more than welcome to join us, Kenz, it'll give us a chance to get to know you and Flash a bit better." 

"Flash?" 

Alex shakes her head, "Don't mind her, a few of the girls took to calling your sister Flash during camp." 

"Oh okay, makes sense; she is pretty fast. Are you sure it's okay for me to join you? Otherwise, I'm just going to head back to my room and watch whatever is on the television." 

Kelley grabs her arm and pulls her, "Let's go older, Gordon." 

Mackenzie follows them back to the elevator and out to an awaiting car, which delivers them to a restaurant. 

After they place their orders, the conversation turns back around to Mackenzie and Charlotte. 

"Do you play soccer as well Kenz?" 

Mackenzie shakes her head, "I used to when I was younger, but I was never as good as C.J., she was a natural from the very start." 

"What do you do for a living and where did you go to school? or did you go to school?" 

"I studied communications at Clarkson and currently I don't have an official title but I'm working on some websites, social media and a few other things for an um, client."

"Cool. Anyone, we would know?"

"If I were to say their name you would know it, but I can't because of confidentiality reasons." 

"So, what do you like to do for fun and are you currently in a relationship?" 

"Worms!" 

Kelley shrugs, "What? They're fair questions."

Mackenzie laughs, "I like to be outdoors, hiking, running, camping, watersports you name it. And to answer the relationship question, I've been seeing someone for a couple of months."

"Someone?" 

"Kelley!" 

Mackenzie turns and smiles at Kelley, "His name is Chris and he's studying to become a Sports Psychologist."

Mackenzie feels her phone vibrating and takes it out of her pocket, smiling when she sees her sister's name flashing across the screen. 

She answers the call, "About time you decide to answer my messages C.J., too little, too late though. I found better company to hang with." 

"Who? And well, Mal and I were occupied earlier and my phone kinda died, I forgot to charge it. Why didn't you message Mal as well?" 

"Please tell me that you and Mally weren't getting busy in the washroom of a restaurant again? And to answer the question I'm currently with three of your teammates, I'm not going to tell you who though and I didn't think to message Mal."

"We weren't doing anything like that, we were doing umm, research for something and I really hope you aren't with Kelley after I told you to stay away from her." 

Mackenzie puts her finger in front of her lips towards the girls and then puts the phone on speaker, "And why exactly did you tell me to stay away from Kelley again?" 

"Because her smile reaffirms the fact that I'm gay and if I didn't have Mal she would be the one teammate I wouldn't mind checking out even if she is a bit older, cause she's hot and ... I've already said too much." 

They all burst out laughing and Kelley takes the phone off the table, "So you think I'm hot, huh? Tell me more." 

Charlotte hearing Kelley's voice on the other end looks at Mal before yelling, "KENZ, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!" 

Mackenzie takes the phone back and turns off the speaker, "Serves you right for abandoning me, little Sis in favour of getting some action." 

"Mal and I honestly weren't doing anything more than a few kisses her and there. Gotta try and maintain the professional appearance while out in public."

"Uh-huh, professional, yep that's you in a nutshell, C.J." 

"Shut up! Anyway, I was going to see if you were still up for watching a movie or something, but now that you've succeeded in outing me in front of my teammates I'm thinking of withdrawing the invite." 

"We're almost done eating, I'll be there soon; don't start anything without me." 

"Hurry up or else Mal is going to make me watch another sappy romance movie." 

Mackenzie laughs, "Perhaps you should take some notes for what's coming up." 

"Kenz, not the time or place; I'll see you soon." 

As Mackenzie hangs up and gets back to enjoying her meal with the three players, Charlotte is filling Mal in on what just happened and her face is becoming redder by the moment.

"It's okay, babe; I'm sure that KO has heard that a few times in her life as have Alex and Allie." 

"Yeah, but I'm here to be taken seriously as a baller not a kid with a crush on her teammate." 

"Jill already said that you were going to be getting more playing time in our next game, show everyone what you are capable of doing on the pitch and this will just be a bump on the road." 

"As usual, you're right. You're still up for watching a movie with Kenz right?" 

"Provided we get our bags packed first, I don't want to deal with it in the morning." 

Charlotte leans over and kisses Mal, "My room or yours?" 

"Yours, because in all likelihood you'll fall asleep before the end of it and I don't want to deal with trying to wake you up or moving you." 

"Mally, Can we please watch an action movie, rather than romance or comedy?"

Mal nods, "Yeah, provided it's okay with T if she comes back in the meantime." 

The two players separate and go about getting their belongings with the exception of what they'll need to travel and wear to sleep in. 

Charlotte props her room door while waiting for Mal to return and takes a quick gander at where she left off on Revelation. She manages to add a few paragraphs before the door opens and Mackenzie enters along with Kelley. Quickly she saves and closes the file. 

Charlotte can't make eye contact with Kelley and both of them start laughing at her response. 

Kelley sits down on the bed beside her, "Whatcha working on?" 

"Just catching up on some school stuff." 

"Don't fall behind, education is important. And Charlie?" 

Charlotte turns to face her teammate. "For what it's worth if I was 10 years younger then I probably would've made a play for you. Oh and don't worry, I'm not planning on using it against you. Now, okay if I join you guys for the movie? I don't feel like packing just yet and Alex was planning on Facetiming Serv before bed and I really don't want to listen to them."

"Thank you, KO." 

"We, Cardinal, look out for each other and from what I've seen and been told you are going to be around this team for quite a while and don't need me or anyone else doing or saying anything that may take away from you getting your opportunity."

"Can I hug you?" Charlotte look and ask Kelley. 

"Umm, yeah." Kelley smiles back at her before wrapping her arms around her younger teammate. 

Charlotte smiles and nods as Kelley takes a place beside Mackenzie and lays down on the other bed. 

"Kenz, you can hold my hand or snuggle with me if you get scared." 

"Kelley, we aren't watching a horror movie."

"Who said anything about a horror movie? You can get scared watching any movie if the acting and story are bad."

"So that's how you get all the girls to fall for you, huh?" 

Kelley laughs and smiles wide at Charlotte, causing her to take a breath, "I thought that you weren't going to use my Kryptonite against me, KO?" 

"Smiling is fun, kid and I'm not giving it up just for you. Now, what are we watching?"

"Not sure, was waiting for Mal to get back before deciding." 

Mal walks in the room and does a double-take at the scene before her, she decides not to say anything before laying down beside and kissing Charlotte. 

"Could the two of you at least wait until the movie starts before getting all lovey-dovey with each other!"

"Kenz, the door is that way!"

"And the Kelley's this way." Kelley reaches out for Mackenzie before pulling her in close and kissing her forehead.

"Okay, that's enough! Get the hell out of here, KO! I won't have you playing with my sister." 

Kelley, Mackenzie and Mal all burst out laughing at the very frustrated looking Charlotte. 

"Babe, they're just playing with you. Kenz sent me a message letting me know that they were having a little fun at your expense and to go along with."

"So, you figured it's a joking matter to use my emotions and what I said about Kelley against me?"

Mackenzie stands up, walks over and sits down beside her sister, "C.J., don't be upset with Kelley or Mal, it was mostly my idea, Mal told us that you've been stuck in your head the last few days and focusing on what everyone around you thought, rather than just playing the game that you love and excel at; we figured if we got you a little rilled up you would channel those emotions on the field and get back to being you and dominating as we know you can. Or maybe Kel and I should just leave you and Mal now to unwind together instead?" Mackenzie smiles and winks at Mal as she says the last part.

Charlotte listens and takes a deep breath before responding, "I don't agree with your methodology, but, I do understand your rationale. I haven't really been myself for the last few days and I'm sorry." Charlotte takes Mal's hand and looks at her, "I'm sorry, beautiful." She lifts Mal's hand and kisses it, causing Kelley and Mackenzie to let out, "Awwws." as she does so. 

Mal smiles at her, "Love you." 

"Love you, too." 

They share a kiss and hold each other. 

"Okay, so now that we're all good, can we really watch a movie?" 

Charlotte looks over at her sister, "We're far from good, Kenz; watch your back, Sis." 

After debating back and forth for a few minutes on what to watch, they settle on watching the latest installment of the Fast and Furious franchise of movies. 

When the credits roll, Kelley reluctantly climbs off the bed, hugs her new bestie Mackenzie and then makes her way out of the room presumably back to her own to pack. 

"Kenz, you didn't tell them anything today did you?"

"I know how important it is to keep your secret, C.J. and I wouldn't betray your trust by telling anyone. We mostly talked about them and how cute the two of you are together."

Mal and Charlotte look at each other and smile, "We get the whole cute together a lot." 

"C.J., I am sorry about earlier, it's just that Kelley and I got to talking about you and well, I fell under her spell and soon we were planning a way to loosen you up together. Don't worry there is nothing more than friendship going on between us, she knows I have a boyfriend and promised not to cross that line. Also, if I haven't said this to you lately, I'm proud of you, little Sis and I love you and Mal." 

"Love you, too Kenz, now if you don't mind, I'd really like to spend some alone time with Mal before lights out, so don't let the door hit you on the way out!" 

They all laugh before sharing hugs and Mackenzie heads towards the door, "I'll see you guys in Jersey." 

"Bye, Kenz."

Charlotte turns her attention to her girlfriend and smiles, "You wanna unwind me, Captain Mally?" 

"We don't have a ton of time before Tierna will be back and I need to leave." 

"Stupid room checks!" 

Mal laughs, "It's only for a few days more, I think you'll live." 

They turn their attention to kissing and holding until the room door opens and Tierna enters followed by Andi and Jane. 

The blonde keeper looks down and laughs at them, "Hope we didn't interrupt anything." 

"Nope, just a little pg rated fun before bedtime." Mal smiles and responds back to Jane. "It's probably time for me to go anyway." Mal leans over and kisses Charlotte once more before climbing off the bed, slipping on her shoes, collecting her phone and then following Andi out of the room. 

"Any chance of you getting between the posts this tourney?" 

Jane shakes her head, "No, Jill has made it pretty clear that the #1 is Alyssa's to lose and Ash and I are on the outside for now." 

"I'm sorry, Jane; you deserve your chance." 

"Thanks, Charlie. I'll see you guys in the am. Night." 

Charlotte looks over at Tierna, "Sucks that we can't all play." 

Tierna nods in agreement before collecting what she needs to get changed and ready for bed. 

As she waits for her teammate to finish in the bathroom, Charlotte returns to her computer and checks her assignments and readings. Knowing that it's too late at night for her to be able to focus on or grasp the information contained in her missed presentations, she decides just to close them off for the night and turn her attention back to what she started earlier on Revelation. 

"Bathroom's all yours." 

She nods to Tierna as she continues typing away on the denouement of her story. She smiles as the ending of Revelation and the beginning of The Known begin to come into view and she knows exactly how she wants it to end so that it seamlessly flows into the beginning of the other.

"I never smile that much when I'm doing schoolwork." 

Charlotte laughs at Tierna's comment, "It's easy to smile when you see all the pieces come together to form something amazing." 

She saves what she has written for the umpteenth time on the evening and shuts down her machine before packing it away in its case for travel in the morning.

Finishing changing and getting ready for bed she climbs under the covers and checks her phone. 

New Message

C.J.: Sweet dreams, beautiful. ❤️❤️❤️

New Message

C.J.: Are you able to speak/type freely?

Kenz: Yeah, Mom is already asleep and I'm watching a show. What's up?

C.J.: I'm almost done Revelation.

Kenz: Really?

C.J.: Yeah and Kenz, I'm so glad that I scrapped what I had initially written; this version is a hundred times more cohesive. I have a really good feeling about it. 

Kenz: I'm happy you feel that way because I'm going to use it as leverage towards the publishing company. They want it, they are going to have to up their offer for it. 

C.J.: Always about the money with you.

Kenz: I just think that you should get every possible cent that you are entitled to for all your hard work. Am I asking Mr. Finnegan to contact them with regards to your next book and or series as well?

C.J.: If you are referring to 1SS2D, then no, not yet, I want to take some time off from writing and deadlines and enjoy the things that I've been taking for granted, and to figure out the details for the proposal. 

Kenz: I'm completely on board with that and don't worry, I'll make sure that we let the publishers know that there is more to come from J.C. Glass, but that you are taking a well-deserved break. Now, get to sleep! Kelley told me that you have training tomorrow afternoon, so you need to rest and be ready to earn your spot in the lineup. 

C.J.: Thanks, Kenz. Night. 


	75. Chapter 75

The whistle sounds out and the members of the USWNT make their way over to the sidelines to listen to the final words as their soft training session is called to a close. 

"Great work out there today ladies. Get cooled down and then we'll finish up back at the hotel. Check your emails, with the early start time tomorrow, we've had to modify a few things accordingly. There will be a brief meeting and video session tonight after supper rather than in the morning." 

Charlotte follows the other player's lead and finishes getting her body cooled down and stretched out before switching her footwear and pulling on some comfies for the bus ride. She collects a bottle of water and starts drinking while waiting for Mal to finish up. 

Once back at the hotel, they head back to their rooms and Mal and Charlotte share an ice bath together before getting changed into comfies to allow their bodies to warm back up. They head down the hallway to the chill room and collect a snack as well as some fluids before heading back to the room and watching some television. After both have a nap while House Hunters plays in the background, they wake up to the alarm and then go about showering and getting changed into regular clothes so they can meet up with Charlotte's family for an early supper. 

"It's too bad that your parents were only able to come to the first game of the tournament, Mally, but least our families got to meet." 

"Yeah, Dad, had to get back to work and they've seen me play before. They mostly came to support you. So, are you excited about playing in front of your hometown crowd?" 

Charlotte laughs, "It's not exactly my hometown or even home state for that matter, but this is most likely the closest I'm going to get to playing anywhere near it unless we play in Ottawa."

"How far are we from Massena, right now?" 

"6 hours, give or take."

Stopping outside the door, Charlotte knocks on the hotel room door and Mackenzie backs up lets them in. 

"Hey, stranger!"

"OMG!" Charlotte's face lights up as she runs over to and wraps her arms around her best friend, "Finn, what are you doing here?" She squeezes his arm, "And have you been working out?" 

Finn smiles, "I couldn't make it to Columbus, but there was no way in heck I was missing the chance to see you play here. And yeah, I started working out, cause, chicks dig muscles."

Charlotte nods looking over at Mal and winking, "It's so good to see you and I'm sure Kenz already mentioned because this because she has no filter, but damn, Finnegan, you look good with no glasses and muscles."

"I went and had Lasik done, don't need to wear glasses anymore."

Mal reaches over to hug him, "Can you maybe suggest that C.J. has that done because she is forever losing or forgetting her glasses."

He smiles, "I'll see what I can do, but you know what she thinks about it and the idea of lasers anywhere near her eyes; she would much prefer to continue wearing glasses even if they become the size of coke bottles."

Mal laughs and nods, "Unfortunately. My girl is kinda a wimp when it comes to anything medical or needle-related. I had to promise her a reward in order for her to get her tattoo done." 

Finn snickers, "Dare I ask what type of incentive was required for her to willingly allow needles to pierce her skin, multiple times." 

"Let's just say it involved me dressing up and doing a little dance for her, but she looks extra hot with her ink so I didn't mind." 

"I wish you guys were closer, I miss our chats and laughs." Finn pulls Charlotte aside and leans into her ear, "Do you Grandparents not know about your alter ego? I started to say something and Kenz cut me off." 

Charlotte shakes her head, "I love my Papa, but there is no way in heck he'd be able to keep it a secret, so I haven't told them. So, please don't mention anything else, okay?" 

Finn nods and hugs her, "I have so much to tell you about school and everything else." 

"We'll catch up over supper, Mal and I need to eat soon to keep ourselves in routine. Stupid early games!" 

Finn laughs, "Same ole, Charlie." 

Charlotte grabs Finn and Mal's hands and looks back, "You guys coming or what?" 

After enjoying a healthy alternative supper and just a smidgen of chocolate lava cake, Mal and Charlotte need to high tail it to get back to the hotel in time for their meeting. 

They hug her Grandparents and Mom before they head off to the elevator, leaving Mackenzie and Finn to wait with them and catch up before the meeting starts. 

Charlotte notices that Finn is preoccupied with someone or something across the room and turns to find Christen sitting and playing with her phone.

"Do you want to meet her?" 

"Umm." 

Charlotte grabs his hand, "Come with me Finnegan, and don't worry she's an absolute sweetheart."

Mal and Mackenzie watch as a very awkward looking Finn is introduced to Christen by a somewhat awkward Charlotte. 

"Have to say, Finn is kinda hot now that he's lost the glasses, the extra weight and gotten taller." 

Mal looks at Mackenzie, "Don't let C.J. hear you say that or you will never hear the end of it." 

"I know, hence why I said it to you and not her. And don't worry I'm not thinking about him in that way, Finn's like a brother to me and I would never do that."

"Good to know." Mal notices the door for the meeting room opening and the Coaches beginning to enter. "C.J. time to go." 

Charlotte nods and her and Finn make their way back over before he and Mackenzie leave them. 

"How did the encounter with Pressy go?" Mal asks her as they take a seat.

"Surprisingly well considering Finn was all but drooling on her, but Pressy is a sweetheart and kept it together, even took a pic with him. I'm kinda afraid to think what that picture is going to be used for now." 

"OH MY GOD, C.J.!" Mal lets out rather loudly.

"That's what she said." Everyone in the room busts out laughing at Mal's reaction to being overheard.

An hour and a half later, they make their way out of the room and to the elevator, Charlotte bouncing on air at being told that she is going to be given a legit chance to prove what she can do in the game the following afternoon as Mal is once again named to the starting lineup. 

They share a few kisses before both decide to call it an early night as the alarm will be sounding out earlier than usual in the morning. 

The following morning the horrible hotel coffee doesn't even resonate with Charlotte as she eats her combination brunch meal alongside Mal.

"One cup only this morning, Babe, then water." 

"Yes, dear."

After eating they head back to Charlotte's room to chill and let the food digest before they need to get changed and ready for the bus ride to Red Bull Arena for the match against France who will be looking to get back in the win column after an embarrassing 4 - 1 loss to England in their first match of the tournament. 

Mal squeezes Charlotte's hand in reassurance knowing the sights of the stadium and fans can be overwhelming as they wait for the bus to pull to a stop before collecting their belongings and making their way inside. 

Having a few minutes before they need to start getting ready, Charlotte and Mal along with a few of the other players make their way out and on to the field, taking in the sight and snapping a few pics along the way. 

"Mal, give me your phone." Mal passes it over to Andi, who snaps a few pictures of the couple together. 

"Thanks, Sulli." 

Mal noticing that Charlotte is rubbing at her arm, where the tattoo of the sun and moon is, and looking upward, steps back allowing her girlfriend the time and space needed to speak with her Dad. 

"You good, Babe?"

Charlotte smiles and nods, "I'm good, let's play!" 

Mal laughs, "Let's play, C.J.!" 

They head back inside and Charlotte makes sure to complete her pregame the exact same as she did the previous match. The only change this time is that Andi is in the starting lineup in place of Julie who took a knock in the previous match and isn't sitting beside her on the subs bench. She makes do with her former Cardinal teammate, Jane and is kept entertained by Sonny and her running commentary on the opposite side of her. 

With the pregame festivities taken care of both teams take to the field in front of the crowd of over 25,000, the United States in their white kits and the French in their blue with red socks.

The first half finds the teams feeling each other out and sharing the chances on target. France comes out as the more physical of the two and draws back to back yellow cards from the Mexican referee for their efforts. 

In the 34th minute of play, Kelley O'Hara looks to have broken through the defensive coverage only to be impeded by arms holding her and draws a free kick for her efforts just outside of the box. Megan Rapinoe sets up behind it and as the whistle sounds sends a short ball a scramble ensues and Andi cranks her chance off the post, the rebound ends up coming back out towards Mal and as she's going down she makes contact with her left cleat, sending it back at the keeper Bouhaddi, who watches it deflect off her gloves and into the netting behind her. 

Charlotte jumps to her feet cheering from the sideline as Mal is dogpiled by her teammates in the box before being helped up and jogging back down the field for the restart. 

It doesn't take long for the ladies from France to respond and draw level as three minutes later, Mbock Bathy is able to feed Le Sommer behind the rather inexperienced US backline and as Naeher is forced to come off her line, the veteran French player chips the ball over the keeper and ties the game at 1. 

One minute into added time, off another free-kick, Kelley O'Hara is able to get her head on the ball but directs it wide of the goal and the teams end the half all level. 

After heading back into the changeroom and hearing directions, Charlotte makes her way back out along with Savannah McCaskill as the pair get warmed up and ready to come on to start the second half. 

As she runs on to take her place on the US front line in place of Rapinoe, Charlotte's megawatt grin encompasses her face as does the one quickly growing on Mal's as she watches it all unfold across the field. 

With the United States in possession of the ball, Charlotte stays wide watching her teammates' movements and positioning herself accordingly. 

She sees her first chance when Alex is dispossessed of the ball and she makes moves in an attempt to regain possession, failing as the ball is sent ahead but staying with the players in the process. 

With Kelley having moved over to the right-back, she has her vocal presence behind her and sounding out, it helps Charlotte to get her game legs. 

In the 53rd minute, Tierna comes up with a big-time move as she directs the ball away from Thiney's feet before the player can get away a shot. 

Minutes later, Mal is taken down hard and the trainers come on she lays on the field. Charlotte wants more than anything to run over and check on her but knows she can't, and instead heads over to the sideline and grabs a drink while they wait. Seeing Mal standing up and walking off under her own power, Charlotte turns her attention back to the match. 

With an hour gone in the game, the visitors send a long ball into the US box and Abby Dahlkemper is able to get a cleat on the bouncing ball and clear it ahead to Kelley. They play a little give and go and then Kelley sends the ball Charlotte's way; seeing space, she sends the ball long and then turns on the jets to outpace the player in blue, unfortunately, her touch is a little too heavy and the French defender is able to get to the ball before either she or Alex can catch up to it. 

Not willing to concede possession of the ball, Charlotte presses the attacker and causes a turnover. She sends a left-footed pass to Mal who's shifted over and as Mal accepts the ball she attempts to dish it ahead to Alex, but it is played behind her rather than in front on ends up at Bouhaddi's feet. 

Mal gives her a thumbs-up as the jog back awaiting the keeper's move and she smiles, wishing that Mal and Alex had been able to connect on the play. 

With the jitters now out of her system, Charlotte is locked in and begins to show off the qualities that made her an easy addition to the roster. 

A few minutes later, the connection of Kelley, her and Mal hook up once again, resulting in Mal's attempt on the target being blocked by a leg and cleared out of the box. 

Mal and Charlotte play the switch up and it almost comes to fruition but Casey Short intercepts the ball meant for Charlotte and sends it high and out of play. 

With 68 minutes gone on the clock, Kelley earns the US a corner and Savannah sends it in, Charlotte gets a head on it but directs it just wide of the goal. In the process, she takes an elbow to the face and accesses the damage as the play goes on. Her cheek is slightly swollen, but nothing that should affect her play.

In the 72nd minute of the game, Mal is thrown down in the box, but the referee despite the yelling of players and the crowd alike doesn't call for the penalty. 

Mal and Charlotte are able to make one more play before Mal's number is shown on the board and she is replaced by Crystal Dunn. In a double sub, the US also changes out Andi in favour of the hometown hero, Carli Lloyd. 

Just after completing the subs, Casey Short has to be carried off the field due to injury and the United States makes their final sub of the match, bringing on Christen Press and shifting Crystal to the backline.

With her first touch of the ball after coming into the match, Carli sends a perfectly weighted ball ahead to Charlotte and she carries it deep down the field, she attempts to get the cross in but sees it deflected out of the end zone for another US corner. 

As the game begins to wind down, Charlotte has another chance to put her speed and ability on display and she runs on to a long ball from Lloyd, as she attempts to cut in she is met by two defenders and is quickly dispossessed. 

Alyssa Naeher is called upon to make a couple of saves in the dying minutes including one off a point-blank shot from France's Captain Amandine Henry and keeps the damage to just one goal conceded as the match ends in a 1 - 1 draw. 

The teams shake hands and hug, neither happy with their overall effort or outcome on the day. 

Charlotte makes her way over to Mal and they hug, "How's the face?" 

"You tell me, I can't exactly see the damage." 

"You'll be fine, I'll kiss it better once we're back at the hotel." 

Charlotte smiles, "I'm holding you to that, Pugh." 

After completing their post-game obligations, the team heads back to the hotel and the players are left to their own for the remainder of the day. 

Knowing that Finn needs to head back to the airport for his flight back, Charlotte quickly showers and dresses before meeting up with him and the rest of her family in the lobby. 

"You played awesome today, Charlie!" 

"Thanks, Finn. I really wish you didn't have to leave and could come to the next game." 

"I wish I could as well, but, school comes first and I gots to get back; can't leave the girls for long, you know what I'm saying?" 

Charlotte laughs and shakes her head, "Please tell me you are being safe with the girls, cause the world ain't ready for any little Finnegans." 

"Of course." They share a hug and Charlotte watches as her best friend, sorry, male bestie, as Ash would say makes his way out of the lobby and into an awaiting car. 

"What did you think Grams, Papa? How did I play?" 

"That girl should've gotten kicked out for hurting Mallory, she pulled her down, how did that referee not see it?" 

Charlotte smiles, "Mal is fine, Grams, maybe a little pissed off about not getting the call, but fine." 

"You came really close to scoring a goal today and you kept those French players on their toes with your speed. I think that you played extremely well today and hopefully, that Coach of yours gives you more playing time in the next game."

"Thanks, Papa." 

Later after supper, Charlotte is informed that her Grandparents have decided on heading back home to Ottawa in the morning instead of making the trip to Florida for the final match. While she is disappointed, she understands their decision and promises to see them off in the morning. 

Returning to the hotel, her Grandparents head up to their room to finish packing, so she has a few moments with her Mom and Mackenzie as Mal opted out of the family meal to allow her girlfriend to enjoy some family time. 

"So, I have some news that I want to share with you guys and get your opinion on." 

"You're not pregnant are you, Charlie?" 

"Really, Mom, I would expect that from Kenz, not you."

"You looked all serious and I couldn't resist, so what's up?" 

"I've been thinking about how and where I'm going to propose." 

"And....? Don't leave us hanging, Sis." 

"I'm been doing tons of research on locations around Washington, and come up with an idea that is a mix of both of us. Mal loves watching shows like the Amazing Race and The Bachelor / Bachelorette and I love history. I want to get a couple of her teammates to help, maybe her entire team's help and come up with a race around Washington. The end result will lead Mal to a courtyard in the National Gallery of Art, where I'll be waiting for her. Once she arrives I will ask if she will accept a rose from me and provided she does, I will hit her up with the words, get down on one knee, show her the Ring Pop and ask her to be my wife. Things might change, but how does that sound so far?" 

Carol looks at her daughter, "Did you say Ring Pop?"

Charlotte and Mackenzie both laugh and nod, "Don't worry Mom, it's just for show, I'm planning on placing the real ring inside it. Mal and I talked before and she mentioned that she would marry me even if I proposed with a Ring Pop, so I figured that I should include that to add a bit of humour to the proposal." 

"I thought you were going to do it outside in some park?" 

"I gave it a lot of thought and I was concerned that it may draw a crowd and unwanted attention to Mal and me. Mal deserves a story and proposal that she will always remember and not to have our moment possibly ruined by others." 

"I think that it sounds lovely, Charlie. So, when is the day?" 

"I don't know, yet; it really depends on our schedules."

After they chat for a few minutes, they head upstairs and Carol heads to her room, while Mackenzie and Charlotte continue to talk.

Charlotte slides the card in and opens the door, walking in she finds Mal laying on her bed waiting. 

"The room is ours for the night T is with Andi. Oh, hey Kenz, didn't see you there."

"Kenz?" Charlotte looks at her sister. 

"I know, I'm gone; have fun you two, but not too much fun!" 

Charlotte bolts the door as soon as her sister is gone and joins Mal in bed for some fun. 

A/N - What story or stories should I update this coming week? (You can ask for a double update of one, but I can't guarantee it will happen, depends on my motivation.)

Spotlight

Haze

Daisy

Vegas

Ripple Effect

Little Wild


	76. Chapter 76

After spending the majority of the day enjoying the beach, Mal and Charlotte head back to the hotel with their teammates to get cleaned up for supper. 

Mal is stopped in the hallway by a group containing Kelley, Emily and Sam and asked if she would like to join them in checking out a restaurant recommended to them by the local players. 

"Can I check in with C.J. first and let you know?" 

"We're leaving in five." 

"Okay, I'll be right back." Mal knocks on C.J. and Tierna's door and it's opened by Tierna. She lets Mal in and then continues with getting herself ready to go out. 

Hearing the water running in the shower, Mal debates before entering the bathroom and announcing her presence.

"Babe?" 

"You decide to join me after all?" 

Mal lets out a laugh, "Unfortunately, not. I know you were planning on doing school stuff, is it okay if I go out for supper with some of the girls instead of just watching you work?" 

Charlotte pulls back the curtain, "Should I be concerned about your choice of companions?" 

Mal smiles, "You pull that back anymore and I might be tempted to join you and skip supper altogether." 

She hears Charlotte let out a laugh before responding, "Babe, go and have fun with the girls; I'll see you afterward. Love you." 

"Love you, too. Bye Babe."

Mal heads back out into the hallway and the group, "Just let me grab my stuff and we can go." 

"No, Charlie?" 

Mal shakes her head, "She's planning on spending the time working on school stuff."

"She sure spends a lot of time on her computer doing school stuff." Mal looks at Emily as she says it. 

"And that would be the reason she's an All-Academic with a near-perfect GPA, can you say the same about your time at UVA, Sonny?" 

Emily shakes her head causing them all to laugh. 

"Then I strongly suggest you don't bring it up again." Mal gives her a stern look.

"Okay, then, so we getting food or what?" 

They all look at Kelley before waiting for Mal to collect her stuff and then heading out to make their way to the restaurant.

While Mal is enjoying spending time with the group, Charlotte isn't working on her school assignments, just yet anyway. She messages and finds that Andi is still at the hotel and asks if they can speak for a few moments. She gets a message back from the former Cardinal that she will stop at her room on her way out. 

Charlotte props her door and awaits her arrival. When she does it's alongside a very familiar pairing in Tierna and Jane. 

"What's up, Charlie?" 

Charlotte looks at them, "I need this to stay between us, okay? Promise me." 

"Spill, I'm hungry." 

Charlotte looks at the tall blonde keeper, "And you weren't invited, so you can leave." 

Jane starts laughing at her before sitting on the end of the bed. 

"I'm proposing to Mal." Charlie blurts out and they all look at her. 

"We all figured that was coming, when, where and what do we need to do to help? As I'm assuming that's why you asked me to come and meet you while Mal is out." 

"I was thinking of creating a scavenger hunt to take her around Washington with one of the clues leading her to where I'm planning on asking her; do you think the Spirit girls would be on board to play along with it as if it's a team thing, so I can surprise her, Andi?"

Andi smiles and nods, "Hell, yeah, they would be. They will probably even volunteer to help coordinate everything."

"Good, because I'm going to need help to pull it all off without Mal's knowledge." 

"We got your back, Charlie; whatever any of us can do to help, let us know." 

"Thanks, Jane. I'm excited and terrified at the same time about it."

"You want to grab some food with us, Charlie?" 

"I was thinking of just grabbing something from downstairs and then coming back up to do school stuff." 

"Okay, well, if you change your mind and want to join us, just send a message."

"Thanks, guys, I appreciate it."

The three players make their way out of the hotel room and Charlotte gets herself set up with her books, laptop and headphones. 

After an hour she begins to get hungry and decides to take a break to grab something from the meal room. Unfortunately for her, the pickings are relatively slim and she soon returns to her room to collect some money to go out and get something. 

New Message: 

Mally ❤️: Have you eaten yet? 

C.J. 🚀: Not really, unless you count the sad-looking sandwich I grabbed. 

Mally ❤️: I'll bring you something and maybe if your good I'll even add some dessert.

C.J. 🚀: Dessert, huh? What kind?

Mally ❤️: Wait and find out. See you soon 💋

Not needing to fend for herself now, Charlotte heads back to her room and takes the time to get changed into some comfies before Mal returns with real food for her. 

Slipping on her glasses, she grabs her textbook and begins the process of reading and learning about fluid flow and fluid dynamics. Before she realizes it, she's polished off 30 pages of her book and is well past the point that she needed to be at to complete her current lab and assignment. 

With the door propped open, Mal lets herself in and smiles as she watches Charlotte typing away like no one's business on the keyboard as the ideas form in her head and she then translates them to the screen in front of her. Mal continues to watch for a few minutes waiting to see if her girlfriend will even notice that she is there and not being surprised at all when she doesn't. She takes a seat on the bed and waves her hand in front of Charlotte, who finally separates her sightline from the screen to smile at her. 

"Hey, can you give me like 5 I just want to finish this up while it's fresh in my head." 

Mal smiles and nods before pulling the styrofoam container out of the bag along with the package of utensils and napkins. 

Charlotte finishes up and then closes the file and her book, turning her attention back to Mal. Mal leans over and kisses her. 

"What's that for? Not that I mind." Charlotte smiles and laughs as she says it. 

"Because I forgot how totally cute you are in your glasses and I missed you." 

"I thought you wanted me to get my eyeballs fried so I didn't have to wear them anymore." 

"Way to be overdramatic and I kinda do, but, also kinda don't; maybe if your vision does end up getting as bad as your Dad's then you could get it done." 

"Now, that's an idea I can behind. So, what did you deliver me, besides your beautiful self?" 

Mal laughs, "Babe, you aren't getting any action tonight, so you can cut the sweet talk."

"Mally, in my eyes you are the most beautiful woman in the world and I don't need a reason to say it or call you it." 

Mal smiles, "I got nothing on that. Are you ready to eat?" 

Charlotte sets everything off to the side, "Yes, please! I'm starving!" 

"Of course, you are." Mal hands her over the food and shakes her head as she devours the contents. "Next time perhaps you should eat before starting your work." 

"I know, maybe you could remind me?" Charlotte gives her a big, toothy, smile. 

"Maybe."

Once Charlotte finishes eating she collects the garbage and adds the container to the black bin in the corner of the room. 

"That was really good, thank you, Baby." Charlotte leans down and kisses Mal who is still sitting on the side of the bed. 

"You're welcome. Do you have much work left to do?" 

"Always, but, I would much rather curl up and watch you."

"Don't you mean watch something with me?" 

"Maybe, maybe not." 

"Now that doesn't sound stalkerish at all, C.J."

Charlotte smiles and shrugs, "I can't help the fact that I could watch you forever and never grow bored." 

"How about you spend less time throwing lines my way and instead move this stuff out of the way so we can watch episodes of that baking show you like." 

"We already watched all this season's episodes, Babe." 

"Then we'll just have to watch them again, because as bad as you are at baking, you are still better than those guys are." 

"Says the one who does neither bake or cook."

"Why should I, when I have you and that cute Supergirl apron of yours in the kitchen?" 

Charlotte laughs, "You mean the apron that Ash got me as a joke and that I now wear on a regular basis because it's got pockets?"

Mal laughs, "Yes, that one. I saw a Wonder Woman one like it, maybe I should get it, so we each have one." 

"I'll get you one for your birthday if you'll promise to model it for me with nothing on underneath it." 

"My roommates may have an issue with that, babe." 

"I never said you had to wear it in the kitchen, although..." Charlotte looks at her with a mischievous looking grin on her face.

"Charlotte Jennifer Gordon, what has gotten into you?" 

"Not you, that's for sure. And what's with the full name?" 

"Just felt like saying it and seriously what's gotten into you?" 

"High on love," Charlotte pulls Mal in tight and kisses her so hard that she's sure her body is on fire as a result. They separate and Mal places her head on Charlotte's chest, content to listen to her racing heartbeat.

"I love you, Captain Mally." 

Mal giggles, "Love you, too, C.J." 

After holding on to each other for a few minutes and sharing another kiss, they finally get to relocating Charlotte's school stuff off the bed with the exception of her laptop and then climb under the covers. Charlotte cues up the show and then places the computer down so that she can hold Mal in her arms as they watch the show. 

Once they've watched a few episodes, Mal climbs out of the bed, "I'll be back, I'm just going to get changed."

"Hurry back." Charlotte yawns before deciding to head into the bathroom and completing her own nighttime routine and then laying back down on the bed. 

When Mal returns they opt just to put the television on and watch a show. Neither makes it to the end to find out who the killer is as they both are asleep before the identity is revealed. 

Tierna returns to the room and takes in the sight of them snuggled up together and sound asleep and smiles as she tries to quietly collect what she needs to change and complete her nighttime routine. 

As she pulls backs the covers on her own bed, she reaches over and collects the remote from beside Mal and then gets comfy watching a show before calling it a night and turning everything off. 

The next morning as the alarms sound out, Charlotte reaches over and turns it off before pulling Mal back into her. 

"Babe, we have to get up." 

"Not for another two alarms we don't." Charlotte kisses her

"Babe, morning breath." 

"Really? You'll kiss me after I've gone down on you, but not now, because I have morning breath?" 

"OH MY GOD! PLEASE STOP, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THIS CONVERSATION!!" Tierna yells out.

Charlotte and Mal both burst out laughing before turning to face the opposite bed. 

"You're just jealous because my girl is here and yours is back in Cali; don't think I didn't hear you and AJ the other night, T. You should remember that bathrooms echo." 

Tierna takes a pillow and throws it at Charlotte, hitting Mal in the process. "Hey!" 

"Sorry, Mal, it was meant for your annoying girlfriend, not you." 

"Annoying, huh?" Charlotte takes her pillow and throws it back at Tierna, which results in another pillow being fired and hitting Mal. 

"Okay, that's enough!" Mal takes her pillow and whips it at Tierna, hitting her square in the face.

"Oww! That hurt!" 

Mal slides out from under the covers, "I'll see both of you children at breakfast, now clean up your mess." 

"Yes, Mom!"

Mal collects her stuff and makes the walk back to her room, making herself presentable before then heading down with Andi to breakfast. 

"Where's your worse half at Mal?" Emily asks.

"C.J. and Tierna should be here soon if they haven't taken each other out with flying pillows." 

"Well, they're both laughing, so that's a good thing right?" 

Mal turns around and shakes her head at Charlotte and Tierna acting up. 

Kelley stops behind Mal, "It's nice to see that Flash has learned how to loosen up." 

Mal nods, "Yeah, maybe a little too much at the moment." 

"There's no such thing as too loose, Mal pal." Kelley winks and smiles as she walks over to take a seat at a table with Alex.

With breakfast finished the players get back into their schedule with a team meeting to discuss their next opponents from England before heading up to get changed and ready for a light afternoon training and positioning session. 

Returning to the hotel after the session, Charlotte finds her Mom and Mackenzie waiting in the lobby of the hotel. 

She laughs seeing her sister, "You're looking a little lobsterish, Kenz, did you forget to put sunscreen on before hitting the beach?" 

"Not funny, it hurts." 

Carol rolls her eyes, "We were just headed out to see if we could track down some Aloe unless by chance you have any." 

They both shake their heads, "We can ask the trainers they may have something that would work." 

Mal leads them over to one of the trainers who is able to hook them up with a miracle lotion to take away the stinging. 

"C.J. can you or Mal hit the back of my neck and shoulders, please?" 

"Not a chance that stuff stinks, ask Kelley, I sure she wouldn't mind getting her hands on you." 

"I'll do just that." Kenz smiles at them before approaching Kelley and asking for her help. 

Charlotte watches on feeling uncomfortable watching the defender run her hands all over her sister's neck and shoulders. 

Mackenzie smiles as she makes her way back over to them, "By the way, I promised Kelley that you'd buy her drinks after the game tomorrow." 

"Kenz, I'm not even old enough to drink." 

"Yeah, but I am and you have a magic card that will allow me to purchase our drinks and then some." 

"As long as the then some doesn't translate to me having to bail either of you out of jail, I'm fine with that, just be reasonable okay?" 

"When am I not?" 

"Would you like me to write a list?" 

Mal takes her arm, "Babe, I'm heading up to take a shower and nap are you joining me or are planning on continuing whatever you and Kenz currently have going on?"

"On your 6 Babe, let's go." Charlotte follows Mal to the elevator and then up to her room, where they have a bit of fun in the shower before laying down for a nap. 

After watching a movie and having supper with their teammates, they decide to take a walk along the beach and listen as the waves crash. They hold hands and share a few kisses before then making their way back inside the hotel and dropping their hold on each other. 

They get changed for bed and complete their nighttime routines before each curling up with a book in their hand to enjoy a little reading before they need to go their separate ways for the evening. 

When the time comes they hold each other and share a goodnight kiss before Mal reluctantly makes her way down the hall and back to her own room prior to room check.

New Message

Ash: Is Angel, me? 

Charlie: Took you long enough to figure it out. 

Ash: How's it going with the big team?

Charlie: Good. They are an amazing group of players and I'm learning so much watching and listening to them. 

Ash: Learn all you want, but my Bruins are taking you guys down this time around. 

Charlie: Them's fighting words!

Ash: Lol! Miss you, call me when you get back to Cali, bestie. 

Charlie: Will do. 

Charlotte checks that her alarm is set before plugging her phone in as the battery is low and then allowing thoughts of Mal and her smile to put her to sleep. 


	77. Chapter 77

Mal stands in the bathroom of Orlando City Stadium adjusting her hair and giving herself a final look in the mirror when she feels arms wrap around her and smiles. 

"C.J. hands-off we need to look professional."

"Babe, there's nothing wrong with a hug." 

Charlotte pulls Mal back towards a stall and leans in to give her a kiss, letting out a slight moan as she smiles back at her girlfriend. 

"You look beautiful and I can't wait to spend the game keeping the bench warm while watching your cute little self running up and down the pitch." 

Mal shakes her head, "Jill said you might get in today, it all depends on the score." 

"I know, but in the meantime I've got the best seat in the house or stadium, so to speak." 

Mal laughs, before walking back towards the changing room with Charlotte following her out soon afterward and then taking her seat in the stall beside her. 

Alex sitting on the opposite side of them watches on, shakes her head and laughs, "The two of you look incredibly guilty at the moment. As one of the Captains, I should probably address this lack of professionalism on your parts, but I'll let it go this time." 

"Really, Janice, you're gonna pull rank on them? I think it's cute that they feel they need to sneak away to do their thing when we all know it's going on."

Charlotte looks at Kelley, "And what exactly do you think our thing is?" 

"You weren't in there long enough nor is your hair messed up so it wasn't a quickie, most likely just a little kissing and touching to get the juices flowing." 

Mal covers her face and looks at the floor laughing, while Charlotte blushes in response as she laughs at Kelley's mere suggestion that they would have snuck in a quickie.

"You're right, unfortunately, no quickie; maybe during the half? What do you think Mal?" Charlotte turns to face Mal who glares at her, causing the older players to laugh. 

"So, is that a no?" 

"C.J. be serious!"

Charlotte does her best to remain straight-faced as she shrugs and responds, "I was being serious." 

"I'd quit while you're ahead, Flash or else you're definitely sleeping alone tonight," Kelley adds before returning to her own seat.

The room becomes quiet as the coaches enter and soon begin their spiel about the opposition, starting lineup and goals for the match up before they head out for warm-ups in front of the expected crowd of just over 12,000 for the evening conclusion to the tournament. 

Charlotte goes through the warmup while also allowing herself a few moments to take in the sights and sounds of the pro-American crowd around her. Her face lights up with every touch of the ball and she wishes that the warm-ups would never end as she isn't looking forward to warming the bench. 

The players head inside to the changerooms to switch over into their game kits and to take a few minutes to focus and listen to last-minute instructions before the subs get ready to make their way out. 

Charlotte stands up and zips up her jacket before turning to wink at Mal and heading towards the door following Christen out. She finds a spot in the reserved seats and gets comfy before being pulled up by Kelley. 

"You're sitting with me and Pressy, Flash." 

"I'm literally two seats away from you, what's the deal?" 

"Jane's got a big head and I don't want to have to keep talking around her." 

The keeper stares them down and then smiles before sliding over into Charlotte's now vacant seat. 

"How's the knee, feeling?" 

Kelley smiles, "It's felt better, hopefully, nothing that's going to keep me down long-term."

"So, can I ask why you wanted me to sit with you guys?"

"KO promised your sister that she would look after you." 

Charlotte turns to look at Kelley, "I'm not a kid and I don't need a babysitter; you, on the other hand, well, that's up for debate." 

"Hey! Respect your hot elders." 

Charlotte turns to look at Christen and smiles, "I respect you, but not her." 

"I really don't know what Mal sees in you." 

"Me neither, most of the time." 

They all stand up as the starting lineup for each of the teams makes their entrance and then lineup on the field for the anthems to be played. 

With the anthems now completed, the Captains do their thing while the rest of the players hype each other up for the game and opening and kick-off. The teams pose for a pregame photo and then take their places on the field. 

Charlotte and Mal make eye contact and smile at each other before Mal takes her position on the field.

With play now underway, the players on the sub bench retake their seats. 

"So, who else besides me do you think is hot on our team?" 

"Kelley!" 

"Sorry, Pressy, but you knew I had to." 

Charlotte responds, "No comment." 

Christen nods, "Good answer." 

"Okay then, out of curiosity, if you and Mal weren't together is there anyone else you like?" 

"Yes, I am human after all, but, I would never cheat on Mal. Now, can we please watch the game?" 

Kelley smiles at her, "To be continued later, kid."

"Whatever you and Mal were doing before the game started seems to have worked she's playing really well so far." 

Charlotte turns towards Christen, "Can we swap seats?" 

Christen nods knowingly and they swap so that Charlotte is now beside Andi and Jane who can only laugh at their former Cardinal teammate's reaction.

Andi leans over, "Mal is playing really well, I wouldn't be surprised if you scored soon with the number of chances she's been given so far." 

As Charlotte watches another missed opportunity fly over the crossbar she can't refrain from speaking out, "Damn it! Mal had space why the hell did Megan take the shot rather than passing?" 

The player around her nod in agreement but opt not to comment on the fact that a couple of their players are looking to be the hero at the moment and holding the ball or taking shots when others are in a better position. 

With the referee's whistle sounding out the first half of the match comes to an end, with neither the US nor England having cracked the scoresheet despite having numerous opportunities.

They head back inside to the changeroom and do what they need to do, Charlotte heads to the washroom and then washes her hands, waiting for Mal to emerge from the stall beside her. 

With Mal's hands washed and dried they fall into each other's arms if only for a brief moment before separating. 

"You're playing awesome, Babe, keep it up!" 

Mal smiles at her, "I like having my own personal cheerleader." 

"Well, maybe if you score I'll see if I can find a cheerleading outfit to wear for you." Charlotte smiles and winks at her before making her way back into the main area and taking a seat. 

Mal follows behind her laughing before taking her own seat and grabbing a few mouthfuls of water from her bottle. 

The coaches take their time running through some missed opportunities and then encouraging more ball movement before identifying the possible subs and positional switches for the second half of the game. 

As the teams head back out for the second half, the US is well aware that the pressure is on them to score, and win. A win ensures that the SheBelieves Cup returns back to the US where it belongs after their abysmal performance in the tournament the previous year led to an extremely disappointing 4th place finish. 

The teams retake their places on the field and Charlotte along with the rest of the substitutes make their way back to their seats.

Barely a minute into the half and the US earns a corner, Rapinoe sets up and sends the ball in towards the back post where both Tierna Davidson and Carli Lloyd are stationed. As both players jump up for the ball, Carli is able to make contact directing the ball just wide of the target. 

A few minutes later, the US contingent rises to their feet as Mal races down the field with the English players in hot pursuit as she catches up to a long ball from Abby Dahlkemper and forces England keeper Karen Bardsley to stretch and come up with a huge save to keep her mates in the game. The rebound off Bardsley's gloves comes straight out towards Lindsey Horan but an English defender is able to get a boot on it and send it out of danger.

With the US flying high to start the half, England Coach Phil Neville opts not to wait and they complete their first two subs of the match in the 52nd minute, bringing in Nikita Parrish and Toni Duggan in place of Jodie Taylor and Melissa Lawley. 

As the Americans continue to play a high line and press the high line, the Lionesses begin to show frustration at the number of offsides called by the officials. 

In the 55th minute, they jump on some slopping defending by their counterparts and Alex Morgan dishes off to Lindsey Horan who then finds Megan Rapinoe in the open; Rapinoe sends a hard shot on target and once again the gloves of Bardsley prevent the home team from taking the lead. 

Two minutes after that England has one of their best chances of the match as Duggan gains space and sends a hard shot that sends Naeher flying as it sails just beyond the post.

Off the resulting goal kick, the US wastes little time in completing several crisp passes and carrying the ball back downfield with Crystal Dunn passing the ball off to Rapinoe, who seeing Alex Morgan charging towards the box attempts to send it her way only to be stunned along with the crowd as the ball careens off English defender Millie Bright's leg and then skips past Bardsley into the goal for the second own goal of the tournament charged to the English squad. 

The bench erupts in celebration as they've finally broken through and are on top 1 - 0 with just over half an hour left in regulation. 

Charlotte watches on as both Sofia and Morgan are called and told to get themselves warmed up and then Savannah enters the fold and soon the match in place of Rapinoe as the clock hits the 80th minute of play. 

She continues to cheer on Mal as her girlfriend has played phenomenally throughout the entire match as have most of her teammates even if the scoreline isn't indicative of that. 

"Gordon, get up and warmed up." Charlotte turns and looks before lighting up in a smile. She heads down the sideline and begins getting her legs under her before returning to the bench, taking off her jacket and sliding in her shinguards. 

As she waits not so patiently by the 4th official, the play continues on for several minutes without interruption before finally, the whistle sounds out in extra time as the official raises the board up indicating the switch. 

Mal jogs over towards her with a huge grin on her face as they quickly embrace and then Charlotte takes her place knowing that her only job is to chase and waste the remaining time on the clock. 

In the 3rd minute of added time, Charlotte jogs downfield and receives the ball from Carli at the top of the box, she tries to work her way out to get a shot but is sandwiched by three defenders, stripped of the ball and taken down. 

It doesn't matter as very soon afterwards the final whistle sounds out and the United States takes the victory and wins the SheBelieves Cup.

Charlotte's first instinct is to run towards Mal, but she knows the importance of remaining professional in the situation and instead turns her attention to congratulating and hugging all of her teammates nearby before wrapping her arms around the woman of her dreams. She whispers in Mal's ear, "Love you" before continuing on to shake hands and exchange, "Good game" with the Lionesses.

As she approaches England's Captain for the tournament, Lucy Bronze, she is momentarily awestruck and most likely comes off as a kid with a crush as she blushes the entire time she is in her presence. 

Charlotte feels an arm wrap around her shoulders, "So, Bronzey, huh? Does Mal know?"

Charlotte looks at Kelley and shakes her head as they rejoin their teammates in waiting for the grounds crew to build the stage for the medal and trophy presentation. 

As the players and staff laugh and joke around now that the pressure is off them, Charlotte takes a moment to herself and looks upward and she touches the tattoo on her arm. 

"He's watching, Babe and he's proud of you, as am I." She allows herself to be embraced in Mal's arms and they hold each other for a few minutes before being called over and told to line up. 

One by one the players make their way across the stage and have a medal placed around their neck before waiting for Carli to be handed the trophy and celebrating as they are announced as the Champions.

After the pictures are taken, Charlotte and Mal head over to the stands and hug Mackenzie and Carol as they lean over them.

"We'll see you at the restaurant, right?" Charlotte can't stop smiling wide as she talks to her family. 

"Go and celebrate and we'll see you both in a little while; do everyone a favour and shower first before coming, okay?" 

Charlotte bites her lip wanting so badly to respond to her Mom's comment and Mackenzie knowing this decides to seize the moment and do it for her. 

"Mom, I think that C.J. and Mal will both be coming before, during and after showering." 

Carol turns and looks at her older daughter trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably at it. 

"That being said, we'll see you later." 

Charlotte watches on as they head up the stairs and disappear into the crowd. She and Mal then make their way inside and join in the celebration happening in the changeroom. 

Neither being old enough to drink hampers their ability to fully celebrate with their teammates but they decide to make the most of it and enjoy letting loose for a bit, dancing around and making fools of themselves before collecting something to eat and drink. 

With their teammates still in full-on celebration mode, Charlotte and Mal head into the bathroom area and deciding to enjoy a little one on one time, wasting no time before they are involved in a heavy make-out session. They lose themselves in each other only pulling apart after hearing some whistling and catcalls from across the room.

"If the two of you are done we're heading back to the hotel now and well, if you aren't done too bad, you can always finish at the hotel."

They separate and look at each other laughing before facing a squad of their teammates watching on. 

"Please tell me that none of you recorded any of that?" 

Alyssa steps forward and looks at the group, "Don't worry, no one would be stupid enough to post it if they did, right?" 

There is a bunch of headshakes before the group dissolves and Charlotte and Mal, quickly change back into their travel wear, throwing their kits into the bin and joining their teammates on the bus. 

Once back at the hotel, Tierna knowing what is about to happen collects her belongings and makes her exit from the room, swapping cards with Mal before leaving the couple to do their own thing.

With the door locked, they waste little time in shedding the clothes they are wearing and heading to the shower, washing and savouring the taste of each other until the water turns ice cold. 

They help dry each other off and then decide what they are going to wear for the celebration. 

Mal looks at Charlotte as she finishes reapplying her small amount of makeup, "Damn Babe, you look hot! Those pants make your ass look mint and I kinda don't want you to share that with anyone else but me." 

Charlotte laughs and leans over to kiss Mal, "You look good enough to eat." 

"Later. Right now, we need to get a move on." 

Charlotte slips on her ankle boots and Mal eyes her up, "Babe, do me a favour and put your glasses on for a minute."

Charlotte obliges the request and Mal smiles and nods, "Now that's a look I can get behind." 

"Or in front of?" 

"Way to ruin the moment, C.J." Mal laughs and collects her jacket and purse, "You ready, sexy." 

Charlotte places her glasses on the table and then collects what she needs, pulling Mal back towards her and gently kissing her lips, "I love you." 

"Love you, too."

After celebrating with their teammates and family members, Charlotte and Mal catch a car back to the hotel struggling to keep their hands and lips off each other after having been provided with a few drinks courtesy of Mackenzie. 


	78. Chapter 78

BANG ... BANG ... BANG

Charlotte and Mal turn over to look at each other while trying to get their bearings and determine where the noise is coming from. 

"Babe, it's the door; someone's banging on the door." 

"GO AWAY!" Charlotte yells out, causing Mal to laugh. 

The banging starts up again, and Mal slides out from under the covers, reaching down to collect a shirt and shorts to put on before answering the door. 

Mal looks at Mackenzie and Carol standing there looking at her and backs up to let them in before heading into the bathroom. 

"Who is it, Mal?" 

"Your favourite sister and Mom." 

Charlotte lets out a groan, "Why are you here so early?" 

"We wanted to spend time with you before heading to the airport. Now, get up." Mackenzie pulls back the covers exposing a very naked Charlotte underneath them. "KENZ!!" Charlotte pulls the covers back over herself. 

"It's not as if we haven't all see your naked ass before, now get up!"

Charlotte turns to look up at her Mom and gives her a pout face, "Mom, Kenz is being mean to me." 

Carol smiles and laughs, "Make you a deal; how about you and Mal meet us in the lobby in half an hour, and then we can grab breakfast together. That should give you enough time to make yourself presentable and for me to lecture your sister on giving the two of you champagne last night." 

Charlotte laughs, "Sounds good, Mom." 

Carol turns to face her older daughter, "Let's go, Mackenzie."

Mackenzie follows their Mom towards the door, sticking her tongue out her as she does. She hears Mal laugh, "I sometimes wonder which of the two of you is the older, more mature one." 

"That's easy, Kenz is older, and I'm more mature. So, you up for breakfast with them?" 

Mal shrugs, "If I must." 

Charlotte pulls her into her, "You must, I don't think I can handle them alone." 

"Babe, they're your family." 

"And will eventually be yours as well or have you forgotten that?" 

Mal kisses her cheek, "I could never forget that. Get cleaned up, I'm going to get dressed." 

After meeting up with her Mom and sister, Charlotte and Mal make the short walk with them to a restaurant for breakfast and mostly coffee. 

"So, Mal, you looking forward to getting back to Washington and playing?" 

Mal takes Charlotte's hand and squeezes it, "Yes and no. I can't wait to get back with the girls, but it's going to suck being away from C.J. until she finishes her term." 

Charlotte leans over and kisses Mal's cheek, "Love you." 

"Love you, too." 

Carol smiles at them both before taking a big drink of her coffee. 

"What's on your mind, Mom?" 

"Just thinking about how proud your father would be of the two of you and who you've become." 

Charlotte and Mackenzie softly smile and nod at each other. 

"Okay, before we get all mushy in front of a bunch of strangers, topic change; when am I scheduling my flight to come and see you in Cali?" 

Charlotte looks at her sister, "Once Mally is gone, I'm going to be in need of some serious cheering up, so anytime after that." 

"Deal."

"Just remember that I'm going to be in classes and have training, so I won't have a ton of time to babysit you or play tour guide." 

"That's fine with me." 

The group chats for a bit longer before Charlotte's phone starts buzzing with a picture attached. She opens it and then looks at her sister, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" 

"Looks like my bra, is it with Kelley? I couldn't find it this morning." 

"Kenz ...," Charlotte takes a deep breath, "Why is your bra with Kelley?" 

"Relax, superstar; I stayed back after Mom left the restaurant last night and when I got back to the hotel, I couldn't find my room key. Rather than waking up Mom, Kelley offered to share her bed with me to sleep and only sleep in and I guess I must have taken my bra off while I was there." 

"Are you sure nothing happened between the two of you?" 

"Nothing happened, C.J. I promise and if you don't believe me, message Kelley back and ask her."

"That won't be necessary. I'm sorry to question you, Kenz; it's just well, you've been hurt before and I don't want to see that happen ever again." 

"C.J. I appreciate that more than you'll ever know but I'm telling you there is nothing between Kelley and me except friendship, I'm happy with Chris."

"Okay." Charlotte nods in acceptance.

Carol and Mal sit there uncomfortably watching and listening in to the conversation between the two sisters, thankful for the waitress showing up with the bill when she does. 

As Charlotte goes to reach for it, Carol beats her to it, "It's on me." 

They square up the bill before making their way back to the hotel and saying their goodbyes as they all need to finish packing before their flights. 

Seeing her sister's bra hanging from her hotel room door, Charlotte can only shake her head, "I'm gonna kill KO." 

Mal laughs and grabs the bra, "No you aren't, not yet anyway. Now, we have a bit of time do you need any help to finish up your packing or are you good?" 

"I'm pretty well done, just need to hit up the kit room and get my shirts." 

Mal takes her hand, "Let's go now and then we can cuddle for a bit before we need to leave for the airport."

Charlotte takes Mal's jaw in her hand and holds it as she leans in to kiss her girlfriend before smiling at her. "Let's go, beautiful." 

A few hours later, they are in the lobby of the hotel saying goodbye to their teammates and members of the staff before some head to the airport for their flights while others wait around for later departures. 

Charlotte makes a point of walking over to Jill Ellis as she stands off to the side speaking with Carli Lloyd. 

"Sorry, for interrupting but I just wanted to thank you for giving me a chance to achieve my dream of playing for the USWNT." 

Jill smiles at her young player, "You're very welcome, Charlotte; keep working hard and I expect that I'll be seeing you again soon."

"I will and I hope so. Bye Jill, Carli." 

"Bye, Charlotte." 

As she walks away Charlotte doesn't know it but the simple act of saying thank you to the Coach left a lasting impression on her. 

Later that evening as they finally pull up in front of the apartment building and pull their suitcases out of the trunk of the car, the realization hits them that they will need to hit up the store for essentials before settling in for the night. 

After dropping their luggage in the apartment and turning on a couple of lights they divide and conquer with Charlotte collecting staples for the next few days for them while Mal hits up their favourite place to get them something to eat for supper. 

They meet back up before carrying the stuff back upstairs, putting it away, changing into some comfies and then eating their food in front of the television. After a few hours of television drama, they are both fighting to stay awake and decide to head into the bedroom and call it a night. 

Mal turns over and kisses Charlotte, "Did you set your alarm?" 

Charlotte shakes her head, "No. I'm not going to class tomorrow; I already emailed my instructor to let him know and sent ahead my work. I figured that we could spend the day together and just chill." 

Mal turns over and backs into Charlotte's arms, "That sounds perfect to me. Night, C.J. love you." 

"Sweet dreams, beautiful."

The next several days pass by in a blur and soon both Charlotte and Mal are dreading the fact that she will be leaving soon. 

As Charlotte sits on the field and hydrates after a training session some of the girls gather around her and they start chatting noticing that she isn't her usual self on the day. 

"Did you and Pugh have a fight or something?" 

Charlotte looks up from the bottle and shakes her head, "No, we didn't have a fight. She's leaving on Monday and I don't know how long it's going to be before we see each other again." 

"You doing anything special for her before she leaves?" Jordan asks.

Charlotte looks at her, "I should, shouldn't I?" They all nod in response. 

"I could make her supper." 

"Charlie, you make her supper pretty well every night, you need to up your game on this one." 

"Any of you ladies interested in taking Mal along for a Mani / Pedi sesh while I do up the apartment? I'm thinking of roses, candles, music, food and maybe a few things that you guys don't need to know about." 

"How about Av, Teegs and me take Mal out on Saturday afternoon and Lan can help you get things set up?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "That would be awesome, Jordan." 

"Good, then it's settled." 

Charlotte and the rest of the girls head inside to cool down and get cleaned up before classes. 

As she sits in her last class of the day, she feels her phone buzz and looks down at the screen smiling as she does so. 

New Message 

Mally ❤️: Is it okay if I go out with Jordan and Averie on Saturday? 

C.J. 🚀: Of course, I'm going to be buried in a report for class anyway. 

Mally ❤️: I was thinking that maybe we could go out for supper on Saturday night. 

C.J. 🚀: That would be nice. I'm in class right now so I shouldn't really be messaging. I'll be home in a couple of hours. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Mally ❤️: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

When her class takes a break, Charlotte pulls out her phone and sends a message. 

New Message

Charlie: Thank you! She doesn't suspect a thing. 

Jordan 🦧: 👍

As she steps off the elevator and makes the walk down the hall towards her and Mal's apartment, Charlotte breathes a sigh of relief after her day at school seemed like it would never end. 

Letting herself in, she calls out for Mal and finds that her girlfriend is on her phone talking while watching the television screen. 

"C.J. just got home, I'm going to be you on speaker, Kenz." 

Charlotte looks at Mal and then the screen and her eyes go wide before she starts laughing. 

"Kenz? What is this crap?" 

"Just a drunk dude who crashed a news station's weather report claiming that he was J.C. Glass." 

"Oh, okay; is that going to be a problem for us?" 

She hears her sister laughing, "Not at all, he also went on to say he was Santa Claus and that everyone was on the naughty list." 

"Ok then, so not a problem." 

"Nope; but good for a laugh. Thought you and Mal would appreciate the clip."

"Definitely, thanks, Kenz. Is everything good on your end?" 

"Yep, better than good; in fact, when I come to see you I'll have your new contract in hand." 

"Perfect. I would estimate another 4 or five chapters and Revelations will be ready for editing." 

"I have to go, Chris just got here and we are heading out to get something to eat. I'll message you later. Bye."

Charlotte and Mal share a kiss and then hug each other before separating. 

"How was your day?"

Mal sits down on the couch, "It was good, went for a nice long run and then hit up the gym. Also, I hit up the grocery store and stocked the fridge for you." 

"Wow, someone was productive today." 

Mal laughs, "It helps to stay busy right now otherwise I start dreading the inevitable." 

"I know, I'm really kinda glad that I have a full course load as it should keep me busy once you're gone." 

"I have an idea, how about after we eat, we have a shower together and then curl up for a couple of shows." 

"As long as we get some cuddle time, I'm game for just about anything." 

Mal raises her eyebrow, "Anything?" 

Charlotte laughs, "Not that! I have school tomorrow and I need to be able to walk." 

"You could always skip class." 

Charlotte looks at Mal, "As much as I would love to stay home with you, I've already missed a lot of labs and need to catch up." 

Mal kisses her, "I love you so much C.J." 

"I love you, too, beautiful. 

They share several kisses and hugs before deciding to have a somewhat early supper, an extra long shower together and then getting comfortable in bed while holding each other and watching some Netflix. 

A/N: Happy New Year everyone!! 


	79. Chapter 79

Alana and Charlotte share a hug, "Thanks for your help, Lan; I really appreciate it." 

Alana smiles, "Seriously if anyone ever sets something up like this for me, I'd marry them in a heartbeat."

"Yeah, well, I'm not proposing tonight but it's not that far off." 

Alana looks at her, "Really?" 

Charlotte nods, "Yeah, I'm going ring shopping with my sister when she gets here and once our schedules are sorted I'm proposing." 

"Aww, okay, now I really need to leave because there's a pint of ice cream back at the dorm calling my name." 

"Just think, next year you won't have me as a roomie anymore unless it's on the road." 

"I can handle that, can you?" 

"Don't know I'll probably miss you a little, but your snoring not so much, Lan." 

"I don't snore!" 

Charlotte laughs, "Yeah, you do! Now, get out of here before Mal gets back." 

"I thought they were going to message you before dropping her off." 

"They are but I still have plenty to do including getting supper in the oven, changing, spreading the rose petals and lighting the candles." 

"Have fun with that, I'll see you on Monday." 

Alana heads out the door and Charlotte quickly gets to work putting the finishing touches on everything. 

As her phone buzzes, she waits a few minutes and then turns on the music before making her way into the bedroom so that she can see Mal's reaction. 

The apartment door opens and Mal wonders why it's so dark before hearing the music, seeing the roses and candles. She covers her mouth as tears begin to fall. 

"Do you like it?" Charlotte comes out of the bedroom and over to her girlfriend taking her hand and leading her into the living room that is aglow with candles. 

"I love it, this is amazing, C.J." Charlotte wipes away the tears on Mal's face before kissing her gently and taking her in her arms. 

"You are my world, Mal and there was no way that I was letting you leave before showing you exactly how much you mean to me. Now, take off your jacket and shoes and join me for a glass of cider." 

Charlotte heads over to the table and ours them each a glass of the cold drink. She hands Mal a glass and raises her own up, "To love." Mal smiles, "To love." They have a drink before Charlotte has Mal sit down at the table, "Supper will be ready in a few minutes." 

"Let me guess chicken parmigiana?"

"Of course. Did you have fun with the girls getting your nails done?" 

"You asked them to take me out didn't you?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "I may have mentioned it and they were more than willing to help me get you out of the apartment for a bit." 

They sit at the table and chat and laugh while eating. Once finished Charlotte clears the table and then reaches her hand over to Mal, "I'm not very good at dancing and I apologize in advance if I step on your feet or toes, but may I have this dance?" 

"Oh my God, can you get any cuter than you are right now?" Mal smiles widely at her.

As one song runs into the next one they continue holding each other and swaying along to the music. 

Charlotte kisses her shoulder, "Take off your clothes, beautiful and wait for me to call you."

Mal looks at her questioningly before removing her clothes, watching Charlotte as she does the same before leaving the area. Mal can't help but laugh as she watches her girlfriend walk naked through the apartment. She hears the water running in the bathtub and the music being turned up louder so they can hear it and then hears Charlotte call for her and makes her way into the bathroom, being mesmerized by the floating rose petals in the water and the smell of lavender in the air. 

"Join me?" Charlotte reaches for her hand as she steps into the water and sits down. 

They climb into the water and let the stress of the day melt away as Mal leans against Charlotte's chest. Once the water gets cold they stand up and dry each other off before joining each other in a rather needy kiss. 

"I have one last surprise for you in the bedroom. Come with me." Charlotte leads Mal to the bedroom door and opens it revealing the room lit up by more candles along with the bed having a heart made out of rose petals in the centre of it with the letters C + M inside. 

"You okay, Mally?" 

Mal nods as she wipes away the tears falling from her eyes. "I can't believe you did all of this for me, C.J. I love you so much, baby and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." 

Charlotte smiles, "You are the most important person in the world to me, Captain Mally and I fully intend to spend the rest of my life showing you just that. You deserve only the best beautiful, and I love you so much."

Charlotte kisses Mal on the cheek, "I'll be right back, I just want to make sure that all the candles in the living room are out and turn off the music." 

Charlotte returns with two more glasses filled with cider in her hands, "No sense in not finishing the bottle. It's the good stuff after all." 

Mal laughs, "Only you would think of that." 

Charlotte laughs, "You know I love my cider. Just so you know that candle right there is a massage one if you're inclined." 

Mal downs her drink and then pulls Charlotte over to the bed on top of her, "I really don't think that we are going to need that tonight, do you?" 

Feeling Mal's already wet core rubbing against Charlotte lets the animal inside her take over on her way towards taking possession of every bit of Mal's body and drinking in her juices for the remainder of the night and long into the next morning.

The next day the only things that make her stir from the warm bed with the woman she loves more than life herself are food and washroom breaks, which is in between long sessions of making love to each other. 

At supper time, she and Mal lay back on the bed exhausted but in a good way. 

"I can't believe we've just spent the majority of the last 24 hours in bed." 

"I can and let me tell you I don't regret it, although, I really wish I would have thought to buy more batteries." 

Mal lets out a giggle, "It's okay you finished the job without the aid of our little friend." 

Charlotte turns over to face Mal and Mal's heart breaks seeing tears in her eyes. "I really don't want you to go." 

"I know, but I have too." 

"I'm going to miss you so much, Mally." 

"I'm going to miss you C.J. so much that I don't even have the words to describe how much." 

"You would think that me being the best-selling author that I am, that I would have the words to describe it but I'm at a loss as well." 

"Only you could pull of a flex in the middle of a statement and still come off sounding adorable." 

"So you think I'm adorable, huh?" 

Mal rolls her eyes and laughs, "I really hope there are leftovers in the fridge because otherwise, I feel as though we are eating cereal for supper."

Charlotte laughs, "There are leftovers, let me get cleaned up and then I'll nuke us some."

"Thank you, Baby." 

They eat their meal together sitting up on the bed while watching a movie on Charlotte's laptop before snuggling back into each other for the remainder of the night. 

Unfortunately for them with the alarm sounding out the next morning, their love bubble is burst as it's back to reality with Charlotte needing to get up and moving for an early session and then classes while Mal looks after her last-minute things including packing before flying out later in the day.

With Charlotte's classes going way too quickly for her liking it means that very soon Mal will be heading to the airport and then on her way to Denver for a few days before completing the trip to Washington. As her instructor dismisses them from her last class of the day, she reluctantly makes her way back to the apartment, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. 

After they share a couple of slices together, Mal knows that if she doesn't leave soon she isn't going to want to at all. 

Charlotte knowing what's on her mind makes it easier for her by standing up and taking her into her arms, "Please message me when you land, okay?" 

Mal nods. 

"I love you Captain Mally and I'll see you soon." Charlotte does her best to smile through the tears that are threatening to fall from her eyes. 

"Love you to the moon and back, C.J. Look after yourself and I'll see you soon." 

With those words being spoken Mal collects her stuff, puts on her shoes and then pulls on her jacket. After making a promise that they would say their goodbyes in private and not at the airport, Charlotte can only watch as Mal opens the apartment door and pulls her suitcase behind her out into the hall before taking one last look at her girlfriend, smiling and then closing it. 

Charlotte sits down on the couch hunched over with her head on her knees overcome with emotions. She stays in the position for quite a while before deciding that it's time to do something and get moving. After focusing her energy on doing dishes and tidying up the apartment, she heads into the bedroom and finds a card with her name on the envelope propped up against her pillow. 

She sits on the bed and opens it

"Wikipedia, 

Love is a lot like a toothache. It doesn't show up on X-rays, but you know it's there." (George Burns) 

Always remember that I love you more than any words that can be said and take it easy on the candy stash ;-)

See you soon my love, 

Captain Mally XOXO."

Charlotte has a grin plastered across her face as she reads the card, shaking her head at the fact that Mal found a way to make her laugh and smile through her sadness. 

She props the card upon her nightstand before heading into the bathroom to complete her nighttime routine, getting changed into some comfies and then collecting her laptop. 

Looking at the screen in front of her, her fingers seem to magically know the way and soon she is not only dealing with the emotions attached to missing her girlfriend and not being able to see her for an indefinite amount of time but also setting up her characters on the path towards the adventure of a lifetime. 

As she hits the save button several times and goes back to re-read what she has written a calmness comes over her as she finally feels like it's time to say the end or in this case the beginning. 

She closes the file and then takes a few moments to process it and the feelings associated with it before shutting down the machine and then setting it back down on the desk. 

New Message

Mally ❤️: Home safe now. ❤️

C.J. 🚀: Thank you for the card, it made me laugh. I just finished Revelation. 

Mally ❤️: You're welcome and I'm glad that it did. I know us being apart is going to be difficult for both of us and I thought that I'd do my part to help ease some of the hurt. How are you feeling about it being done?

C.J. 🚀: It worked. I'm actually feeling surprisingly calm and happy about it finally being done. I really do feel as though it's my best work yet. 

Mally ❤️: So, when do I get to read this masterpiece of yours? 

C.J. 🚀: Once I get it back from the editor, I'll send a copy your way as long as you promise to keep it 🔐

Mally ❤️: Always. I can't wait. How are you doing otherwise?

C.J. 🚀: The bed feels lonely and cold without you in it. 

Mally ❤️: I know the feeling, I miss my snuggle buddy. 

C.J. 🚀: Go to the bottom of your suitcase, I snuck something in there for you; it should help. 

She waits for a response from Mal and it comes a few minutes later. 

Mally ❤️: You are so sweet! I know how much you love this hoodie. I just put it on. 

C.J. 🚀: I figured that if I couldn't be there in person, I could at least be there in spirit. 

Mally ❤️: It smells like you, I love it, thank you. 

C.J. 🚀: You're welcome. I'm turning in now, stupid early morning classes! Sweet dreams beautiful. I LOVE YOU XOXOXOXO.

Mally ❤️: Love you to the moon and back. Goodnight Babe 💏

Charlotte checks that the alarm is set on her phone before, plugging it in, setting it down on the nightstand and then turning the light off and getting comfortable under the covers. 

Meanwhile, in Denver, Mal sits on her bed taking in the smell of her girlfriend while wearing her favourite Cardinal hoodie. 

There is a soft knock at the door and it opens revealing her Mom with two cups of tea. Karen Pugh hands her daughter one before sitting on the bed beside her. 

"I saw the light on and figured you could use a listening ear." 

Mal smiles as she takes a sip of the hot beverage, "Thanks, Mom. C.J. finished Revelation." 

"How is she feeling about it being done? I know you said that she really was struggling with it." 

Mal nods, "She thinks it's her best work yet. It really helped her when she went back and pretty much rewrote a good chunk of it. She wasn't happy with the lead in to The Known. In her words, it just wasn't flowing the way she wanted it to."

Karen nods, "I can only imagine the amount of pressure she has on her shoulders to continue to put out bestsellers. I'm really glad that she was able to overcome her issues with it and if she believes it's her best work, then, I can't wait to read it. You should try and get some sleep now." 

Mal puts down her tea and hugs her Mom, "She promised to send me a copy once she gets it back from the editor; I'll ask if she can send you one as well. Night, Mom. See you in the morning." 

Karen smiles, "Night. You're still meeting up with Lindsey tomorrow for training, right?" 

Mal nods, "Yeah, I'll probably spend most of the day with her catching up and training."

"Okay, say hello for me." 

Mal watches as Karen shuts the door behind her as she makes her exit. She finishes off her tea and then gets comfortable under the covers; with the smell of Charlotte's favourite body wash surrounding her, it takes little time for her to fall asleep with a smile on her face as she thinks about washing Charlotte's back amongst other things. 


	80. Chapter 80

A week later and Charlotte sits on the couch in the apartment holding a ring in her hands staring at it in disbelief as Mackenzie laughs at her.

"Do you really think she is going to like it, Kenz? I mean, I never knew there were so many options for engagement rings; should I keep looking? Should I go more expensive?"

Mackenzie laughs, "C.J. the ring is absolutely perfect and Mal is going to love it. Aren't you the one who kept reiterating to me how important it was to stay within the budget when choosing? I mean, you do remember that Mal can't exactly be blinging it out without drawing questions, right?" 

Charlotte nods, "Yeah, I just want everything to be perfect, it's like that guy M and N says in his song - you only get one shot." 

Mackenzie burst out laughing, "Oh my God, C.J. his name is Eminem, not M and N." 

"What the heck kinda name is Eminem? Did his parents not like him?" 

"I'm fairly certain it's just his stage name. Now, you ready to check out how the ring fits in the case?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods and they head to the bedroom to collect the case and slide the ring in its spot. 

"Fits like a glove." Charlotte nods to her sister's comment. 

"I'm really glad that you're here to help me out with this Kenz. I don't know if I would have been able to do it alone." They hug each other.

"There's no place I'd rather be, C.J. I can't believe my little Sis is getting engaged and probably married before me." 

"I've no doubt that you will find your person sometime soon, Kenz." 

"Yeah, well, at least I can cross Chris off the list." 

"I still can't believe that he broke up with you to go back to his ex, what a dumbass!" 

"Live and learn. So, how about we put the ring down and a movie or show on?" 

Charlotte agrees, "Popcorn?" 

"Is that even a real question? Always popcorn." 

"And ice cream." Charlotte smiles as she says it. 

As Charlotte and Mackenzie get snacks and choose a movie to watch, Mal is busy in Washington getting set up in the new apartment she will be sharing with Andi and Rose for the NWSL season. 

Andi pushes open the apartment door, carrying a big awkward looking box in her arms, "Seriously, Rose, what the heck is in this box?" 

"Just some pictures of Wilma Jean and a few other things." 

"A few other things? LIke 10 lb dumbbells?" Andi looks at her questioningly causing Mal to burst out laughing at the look on Rose's face in reaction to the comment. 

"Sulli be nice to Rose, remember she's injured." 

"Her leg is injured not her head, so how do you explain how she acts the rest of the time?" 

Mal looks over at Rose and smirks, "No comment." 

"It's not too late for me to find someone else to live with this season, you know," Rose adds to the conversation. 

"Have fun carrying your boxes back out then." Andi sets the box down at Rose's feet. 

They all shake their heads and laugh at each other before continuing to move boxes around, and attempt to get unpacked and set up in their home for the season before deciding it's as good a time as any to take a break and sit down on the couches for a bit. 

As they sit down to rest and get a drink, the topic of the upcoming USWNT friendlies comes up. 

"Hey Mal, has Charlie heard anything about the friendlies against Mexico, yet?" 

"What do you mean, Sulli?" 

"Pressy is in Sweden, Tobs is injured as is our Rosie here and a few of the other girls like KO, so I would say there's definitely a roster spot to be had."

Mal nods, "I hadn't really thought too much about it in all honestly, been focused on the Spirit. I know that C.J. has been training hard since I left; Jordan told me they literally had to drag her off the pitch the other day. I imagine that training has become a coping mechanism of sorts for her in order to handle us being apart the same as it's become mine." 

"Maybe Jill will do you both a solid and reunite you earlier than expected." 

"I hope so; I miss her so much and it's only been a couple of weeks." Mal stands up and looks at the mess around them, "Sulli, do you think that you can you whip us up something to eat while Rose and I finish sorting out this mess and bringing the last few boxes up?"

Andi stands up and nods, "I'll see what I can do, but you might have to settle for plain old pasta tonight." 

"Works for me, c'mon Rose, let's go." Mal walks towards the door and turns to look back at her Spirit teammate. 

"But, I'm not supposed to do any heavy lifting." Andi and Mal look over at Rose, "Just lift with your back and not your hamstring and you'll be fine."

A few days later and Mal along with her Spirit teammates begin their season with a match against the Reign in Seattle. 

Barely 7 minutes into the match and Megan Rapinoe finds the netting behind Spirit keeper Aubrey Bledsoe to put the home team in the lead 1 - 0. 

Then in the 35th minute, English International Jodie Taylor adds another to the scoresheet for the Reign to make it 2 - 0. 

Charlotte can only glance at the screen and listen to the audio of the game as she continues to plug away on yet another paper due prior to the end of the term. Just watching Mal's body language as she makes her way off the field at the half, she knows that her girl isn't happy with the team's effort or scoreline. 

The Spirit makes it a game in the 68th minute with Joanna Lohman getting them on the board, but it's too little too late and they fall by a final score of 2 - 1 in the season opener. 

Knowing that Mal won't be up to talking after the game not to mention the late hour, Charlotte decides just to send her a quick message to let her know she watched the game and is thinking of her. 

New Message

C.J. 🚀: You played really well tonight, despite the loss. I love you beautiful, call or message me in the morning. XOXO

Mal looks at her phone once back in the changeroom and smiles at the message before going about her post-game and then heading back to the hotel with her team. 

The next morning Charlotte wakes up to her phone ringing and takes a look around before finding it buried underneath the papers she was reading and studying before apparently falling asleep surrounded by them. 

"Hello?" She lets out a yawn as she answers. 

"Did I wake you?" Charlotte smiles with the realization that it's Mal's voice on the other end. 

"Yeah, but, it's fine I really need to finish this paper. How are you doing, Baby?" 

"I'm okay, just getting ready to grab some breakfast before our flight back to Washington."

"Babe, you don't sound alright, talk to me." Charlotte climbs out of bed and heads to the kitchen to grab some coffee while Mal continues to tell her about the Spirit's woes and how she hopes that the first game of the season isn't going to be indicative of all of their games. 

"Mally, I can't do anything to help your team play better, but know that I'm always here for you if you need to vent or cry; I love you beautiful and I miss you so much." 

"I need a new sweatshirt, this one doesn't smell like you anymore." 

Charlotte laughs, "I'm sure I can arrange for that. Anything else you need?" 

"You." 

"I know. Soon."

"I have to go now, I'll message you when I get back to the apartment." 

"Okay, be safe, love you, Captain Mally." 

She hears Mal let out a laugh, "Love you, too, C.J." 

A few days later as Charlotte is walking back to the apartment after finishing up an evening training session with some of the girls, her playlist is interrupted by a call and she answers. 

"Hello?" 

"Charlotte?" 

"Yes, Coach Jill?" 

"Would you be interested and available to join us for the next series of friendlies against Mexico?" 

"Yes, I'm very interested and I'll make my schedule work to join the team. May I ask is Mal coming as well?" 

"She is and I've already spoken with her; I would imagine right about now she is expecting a call from you letting her know that you've accepted the invite." 

Charlotte lets out a laugh, "Thank you so much for this opportunity, I promise not to let you down." 

"You should be receiving an email shortly with all the pertinent information. Please make sure to confirm your flight information and arrival details and I'll see you in Jacksonville. Have a good evening Charlotte." 

"Thank you, Coach. Have a good evening."

Charlotte lets out a scream before composing herself and dialling Mal's number.

"Hey there, pretty sure I know why you're calling." 

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with Jill. I'm stoked, right now; I can't wait to see and play with you, in more ways than just one if you get my drift." 

Mal lets out a laugh, "Same. God, it's good to hear your voice and laugh. Training has really been taking it out of me this week." 

"I'll make sure to help you relax when I see you." 

"Sounds perfect, I can't wait." 

"I really hope that I'm given a real chance to prove what I can do if given playing time during these matches." 

"There are quite a few girls unavailable for them and Jill likes to use them as a means to try out new players and combinations, so I've no doubt that you are going to get your shot." 

The couple continues to chat on the phone for another couple of hours as Charlotte heats up leftovers to eat for supper and they watch a bit of Netflix together before Mal starts to fade and decides to call it an early night. 

Saturday afternoon finds Charlotte in front of the television surrounded by some of her Cardinal teammates as they eat pizza and wings while watching the NWSL Game of the Week featuring the Washington Spirit at home against the Orlando Pride. 

The girls watch on as 8 minutes into the match Mal gets sprung but sends her left-footed shot just beyond Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris' reach and out of play.

"How's was Mal feeling about today's game, Charlie?" 

"When I spoke to her this morning she was feeling good and relaxed, so hopefully that means she'll have a good game and build her confidence for the friendlies." 

"How are you feeling about seeing your girl in person rather than on the screen?" 

Charlotte turns and smiles widely at Jordan in response to her question, "Can't wait." 

Orlando and Washington exchange a few more chances before the referee blows the halftime whistle but neither are able to find the target and the match sits level at zeroes at the break.

Finally, in the 79th minute, Charlotte sits on the edge of the couch and watches as Mal carries the ball and opts to take the shot rather than passing, sending the ball through Harris' legs and into the netting for her first goal of the season. She jumps up and dances around the room, drawing laughs from her teammates who can't resist posting her celebration and dance moves online. 

Mal's goal shifts the momentum of the match in the Spirit's favour and in the 88th minute, Mal finds herself in space once more and attempts a cross into the box only to see a Pride defender intercept her effort and knock it down. Spirit player Ashley Hatch following up on the play is able to gain possession of the ball and fire a shot from the top of the box past a screened Harris to make it 2 - 0. 

As the final whistle sounds out the Washington Spirit celebrates the two-goal victory in their home opener. 

"So, when do you and Tierna fly out to join up with the US team?" Averie asks as Charlotte turns the game off. 

"Tomorrow morning, so I really should finish up my packing. Do you guys mind heading out?" 

Alana stands up and collects the pizza box from the table, "Nope, but I'm taking the rest of this pizza with me." 

"Fine. Enjoy, my supper." 

"Oh, don't worry I will." Alana smiles at her. 

Charlotte hugs Alana, Averie, Jordan and Tegan before they head out. "I'll see you guys in a little over a week." 

"Kick some grass, Charlie; we'll be watching!" 

Charlotte smiles and laughs, "I'll do my best." 

New Message

C.J. 🚀: Awesome game today, Babe. Counting down the hours until I see your beautiful face.

Mally ❤️: Thanks. See you soon XOXO

Charlotte turns her attention to finish up her packing, although she knows the US Federation always provides them with clothing to wear, she still wants to ensure that she has extra and proper clothing should they go out somewhere as a team or if she gets to spend some alone time with Mal. 

With everything now in her suitcase, aside from what she will need in the morning she then turns her attention to her schoolwork and making sure that she knows what will be required to stay on track while she is away from classes. 

New Message

Finn 😎: Check your email. 

Charlotte seeing the message from Finn does as it asks and finds an email with an attachment and a note that he needs her input on it. 

She downloads the attachment and then opens it 

Finn 😎: A or B? I'm partial to the second one myself. 

Charlie: Definitely the second one, the first is a little too simple, I think. Can you soften the background just a bit before finalizing it? 

Finn 😎: Yep, I can do that. Kenz said that you sent it off for editing, any idea how long before it comes back? 

Charlie: Not sure, really depends on how busy they are and where I sit on the priority list. 

Finn 😎: Kenz said they were excited to get it, so I'm sure it won't be too long. 

Charlie: I would prefer not to see it until after my term is done and then I can fully focus on making the changes they deem necessary. 

Finn 😎: Understandable. You excited about the games? 

Charlie: Stoked! Just hope I get my chance to show what I'm capable of.

Finn 😎: You will, I'll be watching. Have to get to a group thing now, I'll send you over the toned-down version when I get a chance. Good luck with the USWNT; make 'em cry out there!

Charlotte laughs at the last line, recalling how when she was younger it became a joke as to how many kids she made cry by scoring so many goals against them. 

With nothing else left on her list of to-do's before leaving, she decides to strip down and enjoy a nice, long, shower in hopes that it will help relax her enough so that she can sleep.

Slipping on a t-shirt and some shorts afterwards, she double checks her alarms are set before putting on her glasses and letting herself get carried away into a story of falling for the right person at the wrong time. 

As she finishes the last few pages of the novel, one of Mal's that she left behind, Charlotte shakes her head at the ending of the book. 

"Really, dude, you could do so much better! Seriously, she was engaged to your best friend like 5 pages ago and now y'all are ready to say I do for the rest of your life?"

Realizing that she is now talking out loud to a book no less, Charlotte decides that it's probably best to call it a night before she decides to become a romance novel writer and rewrite the story to her standards. 


	81. Chapter 81

"For the love of God, Charlie, stop pacing! You're making everyone around you dizzy." 

Charlotte stops and looks over at Tierna as well as a few of the other players who are all sitting and watching her walk back and forth in the airport while they await the next arrivals of players heading to the USWNT camp. 

Lindsey and Emily signal for her to sit down and wait with them. 

Charlotte slumps in the seat beside her causing Lindsey to laugh, "If it's any consolation I'm sure Mal is feeling the same way right about now. We talk all the time and she's been miserable without you around." 

Charlotte looks at Lindsey, "Really?"

Lindsey laughs and nods, "Yes, really." 

"Thanks, Linds." 

"You're welcome. How's school going?" 

"Really well, actually, one of my professors submitted one of my assignments to some academic journal." 

"Congratulations! Does Mal know?" 

"Not yet, I wanted to tell her in person." 

Emily looks up from her phone, "So, do you get anything in exchange for them using it?" 

"A pat on the back and my name on the article. It's more of an honour than anything else." 

Emily nods, "I get it. Congrats though, that's pretty cool." 

"Thanks, Sonny." 

They hear an announcement over the intercom and Charlotte immediately perks up and smiles causing Lindsey and Emily to laugh, "Someone is whipped!" 

"At least, I've got someone Sonny; who've you got?" 

Charlotte stands up and watches as one of the team officials checks their phone for a message before making their way over to retrieve and direct the incoming arrivals. 

She sees Andi talking and laughing with someone and her face lights up and her heart races as her girlfriend come into view. As if she knows she is being watched Mal turns to look at her and her face lights up as she begins to walk quickly towards the group. 

Mal drops her suitcase and all but jumps into Charlotte's arms, "Hey, there beautiful." 

"Hey, Baby; I've missed you." 

"Missed you too, but I'm thinking that the middle of an airport surrounded by our friends, teammates and strangers isn't exactly the place to show you how much." 

Mal jumps down and laughs, "When we get to the hotel then you're all mine." 

Charlotte reaches down to pick up her bags, "Can't wait." 

They collect their luggage and fall in step behind their teammates as they make their way out to the bus that will carry them to their hotel home for the next few days. With their bags loaded underneath, the couple makes their way onto the bus and being mindful of the superstitious nature of some of the girls, they take seats beside each other and immediately reach for each other's hand and quickly share a peck on the lips.

Mal lays her head on Charlotte's shoulder as they watch everything move around them outside the windows of the vehicle. 

Soon they pull up to the hotel and collect their bags, before checking in, receiving their room assignments and schedule for the next few days. 

Making their way up to the 3rd floor, they drop Charlotte's bags in the room she will be sharing with Tierna and then proceed to Mal and Andi's room. 

Mal finds the door to her room propped open and pushes it open to see that Andi, as well as a couple of their teammates, are catching up there. Feeling a bit frustrated with the lack of being able to touch each other since being reunited, Mal drops her stuff and then pulls Charlotte into the bathroom and locks the door behind her before meeting her lips with her own. 

They hold each other tightly and share kisses, "I've missed you so much."

"Missed you, too." 

As their kisses become more heated and hands begin to move under clothes, there is a knock on the door followed by a voice and a laugh, "Team meeting in ten." 

They separate, "Thanks, Sulli; we'll be there." 

They let out laughs before pulling each other back in and sharing one last kiss. 

"Love you, Captain Mally." 

"Love you, too, C.J. now we better make sure that we look presentable before heading to the meeting. Also, not to put a damper on things but I have my period." 

Charlotte leans over and kisses her, "And mine is due within the next two days. Guess, we are going to be making do with lots of kissing, touching and playing then." 

"I can handle it if you can." 

"Babe, I'm just happy to be with you." 

After checking their look in the mirror and adjusting their clothes, they head out of the bathroom and room opting to take the stairs down rather than waiting for the elevator and finding seats in the meeting room alongside Alex and Allie. 

As the doors close, Jill Ellis makes her way up to the front of the room and gathers their attention. 

"Nice to see everyone smiling, something that I'm sure you won't be doing after testing tomorrow. Don't worry, Dawn assured me that she would take it easy on you." 

They all look over towards the side of the room where Dawn is smiling and laughing at them.

"As I'm sure you've already gathered based on the new faces, our team has been hit by the injury bug and we'll be without the services of quite a few of our veteran players and leaders this week. I expect that all of you who are here will step up in their absence. You should have all received a copy of the week's daily schedule in your email and I expect that you have no issues abiding by it. We will have a team meal together shortly and then afterwards you are free for the remainder of the evening. Any questions?"

With no questions, the players are dismissed until mealtime and most chose to make their way back to their rooms while Charlotte, Mal, Emily and Lindsey opt just to hang around and chat. 

"So Mal did Charlie share her news with you yet?" 

"News?" Mal turns to look at Charlotte. 

"I was planning on waiting until later to tell you, but, I guess now is as good a time as any," she looks at Emily as she says it, "one of my assignments was chosen to be submitted for print in an academic journal." 

Mal's face lights up and she wraps her arms around Charlotte, before kissing her on the cheek, "That's awesome, C.J! Congratulations!" 

"Thanks, baby." Charlotte smiles at her girlfriend, wanting nothing more than to pull her in for a kiss but knowing they are in a very public area resists the urge.

The players continue to chat and laugh amongst themselves before heading to the meal area to load their plates with approved food. 

After a few days of testing, training and learning how to function as a cohesive unit, the players sit down for the last meeting prior to their first game against Mexico the next evening. 

Charlotte has enjoyed every minute of being able to play with and alongside Mal and knowing the team isn't loaded with the star power that it usually is upfront, she hopes that she has proven herself worthy of being named a starter. 

Mal reaches over and takes her hand, "Nervous?" 

Charlotte nods, "Yeah, I've worked my butt off the last few days and I deserve the start." 

Mal nods in agreement, "Babe, you've been dominating this camp; I'm sure Jill has taken notice, just the same as the girls have. Sonny hasn't shut up about the fact that you 'megged her twice in the scrimmage." 

Charlotte lets out a chuckle, "Yeah, well, she should have been quicker." 

"We aren't all speedsters like you, Wikipedia." 

Charlotte smiles at her girlfriend's use of her nickname for her, "Mally, I'm not that much faster than you are and you know it and our testing results show it." 

"Uh-huh, I swear I saw a trail of smoke behind you when you went one on one with Andi." 

"Andi was a soft target for me, we played together and I know her tendencies; so it was easy for me to get around her and take the shot on Jane." 

Mal releases her hand and turns to face the front of the room as the speaking begins. 

The players watch, listen and question the plays and strategies before being dismissed. 

After joining their teammates for supper, Charlotte and Mal head back up to Charlotte and Tierna's room so that she can finish working on some school stuff. 

Mal lays down beside her on the bed and watches as her girlfriend keeps adjusting her glasses as they slide down her nose. 

"Babe, you really should think about getting them adjusted or another pair." 

Charlotte subconsciously reaches and pushes up the glasses before responding, "I actually already ordered another pair with the same frames for when I get back to Cali. These ones have kinda been through a battle with all the travel lately."

"Perhaps, if you remembered to put them in their case they would survive longer." 

Charlotte smiles, "Did I ever tell you that my Mom always ordered extra pairs of glasses for my Dad the exact same because he was always losing or forgetting them?"

Mal shakes her head and laughs, "No, you never told me that. But we should probably consider it for you." 

Charlotte shrugs, "Probably wouldn't hurt; I seem to very good at remembering everything except them... and maybe my phone and keys, sometimes."

Mal smiles and kisses her cheek, "It's cute how forgetful you are sometimes." 

"Really?" Charlotte looks at questioningly. 

Mal smiles and nods, "Yes, now finish up your assignment, I want to snuggle and if you're good I'll even rub your tummy." 

"Yes, please!" Charlotte responds causing Mal to laugh. 

As Charlotte finishes off her assignment she looks over at Mal, who is focused on watching the latest episode of The Bachelor on the television. Shutting everything down, she climbs off the side of the bed and puts her stuff on the desk before collecting some clothes to get changed into and then making her way into the bathroom to complete her nighttime routine. 

Returning to the bed, she climbs under the covers beside Mal and pulls her towards her kissing her girlfriend on the lips and smiling, "Baby?" 

"Uh-huh." 

"Would you accept a rose from me?" 

Mal smiles and laughs, "Maybe, I'd have to think about it first." 

Charlotte looks at her feigning shock and hurt and Mal bursts out laughing, "Baby, of course, I'd accept a rose from you; I love you, always and forever, C.J." 

They share a long gentle kiss, both needing to feel connected to each other at the moment before laying back together in the bed. 

Charlotte lets out a light moan as Mal's warm hand finds its place on her stomach and begins gently rubbing it. 

"I love you, Captain Mally, always and forever." 

The two melt into each other and they watch the show and then another before the alarm sounds out bringing them back to reality. 

Charlotte wraps her arms tightly around Mal laughing as she struggles to get free, "You need to let me go, Babe!" 

"No! You aren't going anywhere!" 

Mal knowing how clingy and emotional her girlfriend usually is at the beginning of her period takes her arms in her own, before turning around to face her, "I have to go." 

"I know, it's just I miss you." 

Mal places her hand on Charlotte's jaw and looks into her eyes, "I'm always here." Mal removes her hand and places it over Charlotte's beating heart. "I love you and I'll see you in the morning, okay?" 

Charlotte nods and smiles before she and Mal embrace and share a final peck on the lips before Mal heads to her own room and bed for the evening. 

Laying in bed and not being quite ready to close her eyes, Charlotte stares at the ceiling of the hotel room as the phone beside her buzzes. 

New Message:

Kenz: Check your email. Edits are in. Good luck tomorrow, I'll be watching.

C.J.: 👍❤️

As she finishes up checking her messages Tierna returns to the room and after her roommate finishes up her bedtime routine, the two chat for a bit before calling lights out. 


	82. Chapter 82

The morning of the first match against Mexico, the US players gather for a quick meeting following their breakfast to find out who the coaching staff has deemed worthy of starting the game on the field and who will be keeping the bench warm. 

As Jill Ellis writes the names, numbers and formations on the whiteboard, Charlotte feels her jaw drop with the realization that her name and new number 14 are written down as part of the starting 11. 

Mal reaches for her hand and squeezes it, smiling widely at the realization that both are now listed as part of the front three, along with Alex Morgan in the centre. 

Charlotte, still somewhat in shock, listens to the final instructions before the players are dismissed with most of them heading back up to their rooms to grab some extra sleep or chill before they need to get into their pregame routine. 

As the room empties, Charlotte sits in her seat, staring at the whiteboard. "Babe, take a picture; it'll last longer." She hears Mal laugh as she says it.

Charlotte looks at her girlfriend and smiles, "It's really happening, isn't it?" 

Mal laughs, "Yeah, It is, now take your picture and let's go. I told Linds and Sonny that we'd join them on their search for real coffee." 

"There's a Starbucks like two blocks from here." 

Mal shrugs, "I know, but I think it's mostly about getting out of the hotel for a bit." 

"Do you mind if I pass, I'm not feeling the greatest and am planning on laying down for a bit and then calling my Mom and letting her know to watch the game." 

"Still got cramps?" 

Charlotte nods, "Yeah, I mentioned it to Dawn, and she was going to have them check my levels and see if I needed to supplement." 

"Makes sense. Do you mind if I go out with the girls for a bit, or do you want me to stay with you?" 

"Go, have fun, and I'll see you in a little while. Love you." 

"Love you." 

After taking a picture of the whiteboard, Charlotte makes her way out of the room and then over towards the elevator with Mal watching on. 

"S'up with Charlie? She not coming?" 

"She wanted to give her Mom a call and let her know she's going to be starting and then chill. So where are we headed?" 

"Anywhere but here! Away we go!" 

Mal and Lindsey laugh and shake their heads as they follow Emily out of the hotel's front doors. 

Charlotte returns to her room, finds Tierna collecting her stuff, "You going out?" 

"Yeah, for a bit. I'll be with Sulli if you need me." 

Charlotte nods before removing her shoes, getting comfortable on her bed and closing her eyes for a bit. 

She soon finds that she's much too excited to sleep and instead grabs her phone, first calling her Mom and letting her know. She calls her Grandparents to check in and let them know her news. Finally, she sends out a couple of text messages to Kenz, Finn, Ash and Alana.

Ring, Ring

"S'up, Sanchez?" 

"I'm taking a study break." 

"Since when do you study?" 

"Hey, I may not be a brainiac like you, but I do put the work in." 

"I know, I'm only kidding. So, what's new?" 

"Not much; I had a slight bikini malfunction at the beach yesterday. Jessie thought it was hilarious." 

"Let me guess; she slept in her own bed last night?" 

"Yep. How are things with you and Mal? Any progress on, you know what?" 

"Mal and I are good. I bought a ring, and I have a pretty good idea as to how and where I'm going to do it, but things could still change before then."

"Can you send me a pic of the ring?" 

"I don't have it with me, and I can't take the chance of Mal seeing a picture of it on my phone." 

"I get it. Make sure you send me one when you get back to Cali, okay? Are you excited about starting?" 

"Deal. I'm beyond excited, it's a dream come true, Ash." 

"Make sure you double knot your shoes, don't wanna see you faceplant on television." She hears Ashley laughing as she says it. 

"I'm gonna triple knot them, just in case."

"I should get back to my reading. Good luck out there tonight. I expect to see you on the scoresheet, Gordon."

Charlotte laughs, "I'll do my best. Later, Ash." 

"Bye."

Setting her phone down while ensuring it's plugged in and charging, Charlotte lays back on the bed and is finally able to sleep. 

When she wakes up she feels a body curled up beside her, and the smell of Mal's shampoo gives her presence away. She turns over to pull Mal close to her and then closes her eyes allowing sleep to take over once more. 

As the alarm sounds out, she can't reach over Mal to turn it off. 

"Mally, can you get the alarm, please? I can't reach."

Mal reaches over and pushes the spot on the screen to stop the beeping. She turns over to look at Charlotte and smiles before kissing her, "How are you feeling?" 

"Always better when you're with me. Did you have a good time with the girls?" 

"Yeah, we stopped and got some lunch. I brought you back a sandwich, it's in the fridge." 

Charlotte kisses Mal, "Thank you." 

They lay there for a few minutes just enjoying the closeness before Mal climbs off the bed, walks over to the fridge and returns with the sandwich and water for Charlotte to drink.

Tierna returns to the room and removes her shoes before yawning and laying down on her bed. 

"Okay if we watch a movie, T?" 

"Yeah, just keep the volume down, so I can sleep." 

Once she finished eating, Charlotte grabs her laptop and sets them up with a movie. They wrapped in each other as the couple on the screen fall in love. 

Mal hearing Charlotte sniffling, bursts out laughing, "Are you crying?" 

Charlotte wipes the tears off her cheeks, "I blame hormonal imbalance." 

Mal keeps laughing, "Aww, you're cute even when sappy." 

They lay together and share a few kisses before Mal needs to head out and back to her room to start getting ready. 

A few hours later, sitting on the team bus, Charlotte feels Mal gently squeeze her leg to get her attention. She takes out her headphone, "Did you want something?" 

Mal smiles, "Just to remind you not to get in your head and that I'm right here with you." 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "I know. Love you, Mally." 

"Love you, too, C.J." 

They both replace their headphones and lean against each other while the bus makes it's way to EverBank Field. 

Arriving, the players step off the bus and acknowledge the fans that have arrived early to cheer them on before entering the stadium and making their way to the changeroom. With the music pumping through the room, they begin to get themselves loosened up by dancing, chatting and just remaining quiet while pulling on their warmups. 

Soon enough they are signalled and told to make their way out onto the field. Charlotte falls in behind Mal and her teammates and they go about getting warmed up, stretched out and ready to play. Returning inside they switch out of their warmups and pull on their game kits. 

Once she is dressed, Charlotte heads to the bathroom area, looking in the mirror as she goes about fixing her hair and then closing her eyes as she takes some deep breaths and tries to steady her nerves. She feels arms wrap around her from behind and sinks into them. 

"You good?" 

Charlotte removes herself from Mal's hold and then turns to face her and smile. Placing her hand on Mal's face before leaning in to kiss her, "I'm good. You?" 

Mal smiles and nods. 

"Then I guess it's time for us to get back out there." 

Mal and Charlotte make their way back to the main room and take their seats, waiting for the final instructions. They watch as the subs make their way out of the room, followed by the coaches and then a few minutes later by the starters. Charlotte now knows that she will be given ample time to show off what she can do on the field in large part due to star player Megan Rainoe nursing a bit of an injury and not being fit to play the full 90. She intends to take full advantage of the situation and hopefully solidify her place on the roster. 

Standing in the corridor behind Mal and having Emily, then Tierna behind her Charlotte feels comfortable and confident and can't wait to get out there. 

They make their way out alongside the opposition from Mexico and lineup on the field for the anthems. Charlotte takes in the crowd and feels the energy surrounding them. 

Back home in Massena, Carol Gordon sits on the couch alongside Mackenzie listening to the commentators discuss the starting lineup and what each player brings to the team. They cheer loudly as Charlotte's name is mentioned and they talk about her speed and penchant for finding space. 

As the anthem finishes up, the players take some deep breaths before heading over to the sideline, removing their jackets and then gathering quickly for a team photo and huddle before the opening whistle sounds out.

Charlotte jogs on alongside Mal and then takes her place on the opposite side of the field. 

The whistle sounds out and the game gets underway with Alex passing the back to Crystal Dunn as Charlotte floats along the sideline, watching her teammates pass the ball back and forth. 

They make moves up the right-hand side with Dahlkemper sending the ball forward to Sonnett, who is quickly dispossessed. 

The US recovers the ball and quickly regroups, shifting their movement to the left side of the field, where Tierna carries the ball just past the centre before sending it forward to Charlotte. Charlotte is unable to gain control of the pass as it is directed out by one of the opposing players for a United States throw-in.

The ball bounces around the Mexican end and Charlotte finds it at her feet, seeing Morgan Brian sneaking in, she passes off and watches as Brian gets the first shot of the evening, sending the ball directly into the gloves of opposing goalkeeper, Bianca Henniger. 

Both teams exchange possession for the next few minutes of the match with the Americans continuing to press and the young team from Mexico. 

Five minutes into the game, Charlotte finds herself at the top of the box and tries to sneak a pass-through to Mal only to have it easily intercepted and turned over. 

Jumping on an errant pass the US pushes forward once more with Andi sending a good ball ahead to Alex who then springs Charlotte behind the backline. Charlotte sees Henniger charging out at her and realizing she doesn't have the angle, seeing a flash of white making a run and hearing her name yelled out; hits the sidefooted pass over and watches on as her girlfriend connects with it sending it to the netting despite being chased down by two players in red. 

Mal jumps up and runs towards her, wrapping her arms around her as the other players soon join in the celebration. 

Charlotte feels as though she's floating on air as she makes her way back for the restart her face lit up with a smile. 

Mackenzie screams out at the television when her sister and hopefully soon to be fiancee connect on the goal and are shown on the screen with only 6 minutes having been played since the opening whistle. 

"MOM!!" 

Carol returns to the room, "What's with all the yelling and screaming?" 

"C.J. just set up Mal for a goal." 

Carol smiles like a proud parent should before sitting down on the couch. "Have they shown a replay of it?" 

"Yes. You should have waited to make your tea."

Carol rolls her eyes, "Aren't you the one that's always saying nothing usually happens in the first 5 to 10 minutes of the games?" 

"Well, yeah, but they scored and C.J. got an assist!" 

12 minutes into the game and Charlotte plays the passer once more, dishing to Lindsey Horan. The midfielder jumps up on the play, knocking the ball down and then turning around connects sending the ball directly into the face of one of the Mexican defenders. With the trainers needing to come on and tend to the downed player, the remaining players head towards the sidelines to get instructions and hydrate while they wait. 

The Americans play the ball back to Henniger off the restart and she accepts it before sending a ball towards the middle of the field. Alex is able to knock it down and pull the defender towards her before attempting to send the ball ahead of Mal; unfortunately, it's a heavy pass and Mal can't catch up to it. 

With most of the play happening on the right side of the field, Charlotte finds herself floating closer to the centre of the field and in the 22 minute, Alex chases a long ball down the sideline before sending a cross into the box. Charlotte is able to take it on her chest, knock it down and attempts to play a give and go with Lindsey only to have the pass intended for her cut off before it reaches her. 

Two minutes after that, Mal plays the inside out and draws her defender before sending a beautiful ball towards the back post. Alex gets a hold of it and directs it just wide of the goal and out. 

In the 26th minute of play, Charlotte has visions of her first goal wearing the colours of her country accepting the goal line pass from Alex only to send it just outside the near post. She jogs back down the field shaking her head, knowing it was there for the taking and she missed it. 

Minutes later, Mexico gets their chance to even the score but Ocampo sends her shot flying over the crossbar as Naeher dives making sure it isn't going to hit the netting. 

The Americans respond and off the goal kick they demonstrate their speed up front with Mal accepting a pass and running freely down the line, Charlotte keeps pace and makes herself available for the pass. Mal sees her and sends the ball her way, but the gloves of Henniger get their first and the American-born keeper nullifies the threat. 

Play continues with the US having a few more opportunities to expand on their lead before the end of the first half but being unable to find the target. 

The teams head into the changeroom with the visitors happy to have only given up one goal to the powerhouse team while the home team is disappointed with their lack of finishing thus far during the match. 

Mal jogs beside Charlotte and Alex as they head off the field and down the tunnel. 

"Why didn't you take the shot, C.J.?" 

Charlotte turns to face her girlfriend and smiles, "Because I heard an angel call my name and I knew there was no chance she was going to miss." 

Mal shakes her head and laughs, "Keep playing the way you are and your goal will come." 

"Hope so." 

Charlotte downs some water and a snack as she listens to the coaches and players talk and recap the half. 

The United States come out flying to start the second half and immediately earn several chances but can't find the target. 

In the 49th minute, the referee's whistle sounds out and she points to the spot in front of Henniger after Alex is taken down just inside the box. 

The Captain steps up behind the ball and awaits the whistle before wasting no time in sending the ball low and in the corner just beyond the diving Henniger's reach to put the United States on top 2 - 0. 

Two minutes later the US executes a string of perfect passes resulting in Charlotte springing Alex and the Orlando Pride player makes no mistake in burying it to put them up by 3 goals. 

With them now being on top by a three-goal margin, the US makes their first substitution of the match bringing on the veteran, Carli Lloyd while removing Andi from the side. 

The move pays immediate dividends as Lloyd adds her name to the scoresheet and gives them a four-goal lead. 

In the 64th minute of play, the visitors capitalize on a defensive miscue by the United States with Katie Johnson chipping the ball over Alyssa Naeher and sending it to the netting to get Mexico on the board. 

A few minutes later Charlotte sees her number come up in red and jogs over to the sideline, hugging Savannah as she takes over for the remainder of the game. 

She gets high fives and hugs as she makes her way to the bench to sit down and replenish her fluids. Cheering on her teammates and then hugging Mal, when her girlfriend joins her on the bench minutes later. 

The game comes to a close with the United States beating their Mexican counterparts by a final score of 4 - 1. 

Charlotte finishes up her first start with the USWNT with two assists. 

Back at the hotel after the game, the players get cleaned up, have supper as a team and then have the remaining portion of the evening to do with as they wish. 

Charlotte and Mal lay on the bed wrapped in each other, sharing a few kisses. 

"You played incredible today, Baby." 

"Thanks, Mally. I wish I could have scored though." 

Mal let out a laugh, "Yeah, well we might be able to something about that." 

Charlotte's face lights up, "Tell me more." 

"Nah, I'm done talking; we have only a bit of time before Tierna is back how about I just show you instead?" 

"I have absolutely no objections to that." 

"Good now lay back." 

"Yes, dear." 


	83. Chapter 83

Three days later and on the back of her outstanding performance in the first match against Mexico, Charlotte is rewarded with the start in the second match. 

Standing in the tunnel at BBVA Compass Stadium, awaiting the walk on to the field, Charlotte is staying loose by talking and telling jokes to the little mascots around her. 

"Where do cows go on Friday nights?" 

"MOOVIES!!" one of the kids yells causing them all to laugh. 

Mal can't stop the huge smile from forming on her face nor the laughter that soon emerges watching her girlfriend playing with the kids when they are supposed to be all serious and focusing on the task at hand. It's nice to see her girlfriend relaxed and smiling rather than showing her nerves. 

Once they start walking out, Charlotte takes the little girl's hand and puts on her serious face. She knows that the cameras will be on them as they walk out and now isn't the time to be goofing off, even though it's helped her to relax. 

With the anthems played, the players head towards the sideline for a quick team pic and then to grab some final instructions as the Captain's complete the coin flip and determine sides and who will start with possession.

"You look happy today, Charlie; did you and Mal sneak in some action at the hotel?" 

Charlotte laughs as she looks at the tall blonde goalkeeper beside her, "On the record of course not on game day, off the record, maybe. How are you feeling about finally getting to start Jane?"

"Can't wait. This my city and my fans, let's give 'em a show." 

Charlotte laughs, "I'll see what I can do." 

Charlotte and Jane share a quick hug before the keeper makes her jog to the goal. 

"You ready, C.J.?" Charlie looks over at Mal, smiles and nods, "Let's go!"

Mexico starts with the ball only to turn over possession almost immediately to the United States who then starts passing it around in their zone. A sloppy pass leads to the Mexicans regaining possession in the American end before finally, Lindsey is able to head the ball forward to Mal and move up. 

With so much coverage now drawn over to the near side of the pitch, the US has space on the far side where Charlotte is circling around. A few passes and she finds the ball at her feet, turning on the jets as she races down the sideline. A heavy touch from her leads to a chase to the end line for the ball and as she manages to flick a ball back, one of the Mexican defenders knocks it down and attempts to clear it out, but ends up sending it directly to Carli Lloyd. 

Carli then proceeds to send a heavy shot directly at Mexican keeper, Santiago and jumping on the rebound tries to drag it around her and the defenders only to see the gloves of the keeper scoop it up before any harm can be done. 

Santiago's kick to the centre is quickly gobbled up by the players in white and they began to gauge their line of attack. Crystal Dunn passes the ball off to Charlotte who sends it back to Tierna. The ball makes the rounds of the US backline before eventually making its way forward to Morgan Brian. Brian passes off the Charlotte who seeing two of her own storming the line, passes the through ball directly into the path of Mal, who takes it and draws Santiago out before then tucking the ball into the open cage behind her to open the scoring only 3 minutes in.

Mal runs back and jumps into Charlotte's arms. They celebrate the beautiful pass and play with their teammates before making the run back. 

Play continues to go back and forth with the United States as expected dominating possession of the ball in the very early stages of the match. 

With only 10 minutes having gone by in the game, Mal comes close to springing Charlotte only to see her pass cut off at the last moment.

3 minutes later, Charlotte is sent on her way by Carli only to send her shot right into the goalkeeper's chest. Her teammates are using her speed to their advantage and she's loving it.

In the 17th minute of play, US defender Tierna Davidson directs the ball out of the endzone, resulting in Mexico's first corner of the match. They take it short and attempt to play around, but the ball quickly makes it's way back over the end line for a second corner. 

Mexican Captain, Monica Ocampo takes the kick and sends the ball towards the US box, it takes a bounce and finds its way just inside the far post to end Jane's dream of a shutout in her first start with the team and draw them level at 1 with the US. 

They shock everyone when in the 24th minute off another corner kick, Ocampo sends the ball in and Jane isn't able to get her gloves on the ball before it makes contact with the head of Palacios and is directed past her to put the visitors on top 2 - 1. 

The United States looks to rebound quickly and off the restart immediately pushes forward with Mal taking charge of the front line and drawing players with her before sending the ball back across the field towards an open Charlotte. Charlotte chases the ball down and turns back to see Lindsey with her arm up and requesting service in the box. She sends it in but with a bit too much under it and the Mexican defender is able to knock it out of the end for a US corner. 

The ball comes in and Lindsey charging towards the far post is able to get a clean header on it sending the ball past Santiago to the netting to tie them up at 2. 

31 minutes into the game, Charlotte sends Mal once more, only to have the play called back on the offside. Mal gives her a thumbs up and a smile before moving back into position. 

Carli Lloyd etches her place in history when 3 minutes later she is the recipient of Lindsey and Alex's work in the box and heads the ball in for her 100th career goal to put the United States back on top. 

Just before the end of the first half, Becky sends a long ball and Charlotte breaks the backline, charging towards the open ball before collecting it and then sending a pass to the laces of Alex, who makes no mistake with the finish. 

The United States finish out the half leading 4 - 2. 

As she takes on some fluids during the break she hears her name being mentioned by Jill and is encouraged to keep going all out. 

"Here, I thought you were a goalscorer, Gordon." 

Charlotte laughs, "Usually I am, Teegs, but I have to say it feels pretty good collecting the assists as well. You ready to make your debut?" Tegan McGrady smiles and nods, "Yep. I'm nervous." 

"You'll be fine, Cardinal. See you out there." 

Charlotte sees Mal walking towards her and wraps her arms around her. "Hey, there beautiful." 

Mal smiles, "Hey, yourself. I hope your Mom and Kenz are watching the game because I have a feeling your goal is coming." 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "They should be, I reminded Kenz enough of the early start. You're having a pretty good game yourself, Mally."

"Jill told me that she's going to be taking me out around the 60-minute mark, she wants some of the other girls to get some playing time in." 

"She didn't say anything to me about coming off." 

"That's a good thing, Babe; means that she's thinking of letting you go the distance."

The game gets back underway with the team from Mexico making a sub at the half and then 5 minutes later, looking to add some pace in order to keep up with a speedy United States team. 

At the 52 minute mark, Charlotte flashes some fancy footwork cutting around two members of the opposition before finding an open teammate to pass off to.

As the ball is played out of the side, the referee's whistle sounds out and Mal's number 11 is flashed on the board in red alongside Tegan's 27. Her girlfriend jogs over and hugs her replacement as the board lights up the next substitution for the United States. Tierna is taken off in favour of another debut, Ash's UCLA teammate, Hailie Mace makes her way onto the field and takes her position. 

In the 63rd minute of play with her last touch of the match, United States goalkeeper, Jane Campbell accepts the ball on the back pass and then sends a pinpoint ball to Charlotte waiting in the centre circle. Charlotte knocks it down and seeing Alex's position sends a ball for her to run onto, unfortunately, the touch was a bit too heavy and the keeper is able to beat Morgan to the ball. Charlotte following up on the play finds the ball at her feet and with nothing but net in her sightlines, chips it over everyone and then celebrates her first goal at the Senior level. 

She takes a moment to touch the tattoo on her arm and looks up before then being surrounded by her teammates on the field. She runs over to the sideline and gets high fives and a hug from Mal before retaking her place on the field. 

In Massena, New York and Ottawa, Ontario there isn't a dry eye in the house as her Mom, sister and Grandparents all recognize who she honoured at the moment. 

Carol Gordon hugs her older daughter as the tears run down her face, "Your Dad would be so proud right now, I know wherever he is, he's watching and knows." 

Meanwhile, at Duke University, Finn watching the game online with his headphones in, stands up and lets out a scream drawing the attention of the students around him. 

"MY BEST FRIEND JUST SCORED FOR THE US WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM!!"

After being shushed by a few people around him, Finn sits back down and continues to watch the game.

When play resumed, Jane was been replaced between the posts by Orlando Pride goalkeeper, Ashlyn Harris for the balance of the match. 

Feeling energized now the commanding lead, the United States continues to push for another goal on the day and almost finds it by way of Allie Long. Once again Charlotte in the role of the playmaker sends her teammate in, this time with a no-look pass, but Long is unable to finish and the ball is knocked out of play for a corner. 

The ball bounces around the box before Alex Morgan is able to finally direct it in and put the team on top 6 - 2, with just over 20 minutes remaining. 

Charlotte and Alex team up again in the 75th minute, looking to secure a hat-trick for #13 on the day but Santiago is able to get her mitts on the redirect and send it out of play. 

The final 15 minutes of the game sees the United States continuing to find space in and around the tired Mexican team, but unable to convert on any further opportunities and they settle for the 6-2 victory. 

After the game, the players shake hands and hug, celebrating the victory, first appearances and a first goal in their midst.

"Charlie, they want you for an interview." 

Charlotte grabs a drink and then follows one of the media people down the sideline. 

Why she is asked and answers questions about her performance the past two games and finally scoring, her US teammates seize the opportunity to collect the cooler still partially filled with water. 

Mal realizes what's about to happen and eyes them up, opting not to stop it but watching from a safe distance, as the up and coming star and her girlfriend is treated to a cold shower. 

They laugh as she screams and struggles to finish off the interview with water dripping all over her. Once she is done, Charlotte wastes no time running after the main culprits Ashlyn and Jane. The team and fans still in the stands laugh as they run around the field, before being called back and Charlotte being thrown a towel to wrap up in. 

She looks at Mal, who at this point is unable to keep a straight face, "Why didn't you help me?" 

Mal shrugs and laughs before making her way over to the stands to sign a few autographs. Mal signals for Charlotte to come over and join her. 

"Can we have your autograph?" 

Charlotte looks up at the girls who ask and over at Mal, smiling before taking the marker being handed to her and signing their poster. She signs a few more things before needing to head inside to get out of the wet kit, dry off and warm up. 

She towel dries her hair and brushes it through while waiting for the others to join. 

"Congratulations, Charlotte." 

"Thank you, Coach Jill, for everything." 

"You know Charlotte, I had a conversation with Paul Ratcliffe back in January and he had nothing but good stuff to say about you, your work ethic and overall soccer IQ. He staked his reputation on you being a difference-maker for years to come for the US program and I have to say that already you've shown yourself to be more than capable of playing at the senior level."

Charlotte looks at the Coach, "I'm not really sure how I should respond to that." 

Jill laughs, "Just keep working hard, Charlotte." 

"Yes, Coach." 

Back at the hotel after having completed a cooldown and recovery session, Charlotte sits on the bed in her room, looking through the messages that continue to blow up her phone. 

Ring, ring

Looking at the caller ID she sees that it's her Mom and answers. 

"Hey, Mom. Did you watch the game?"

"We did. I'm so proud of you. You played as Mackenzie would say, "Amazeballs!" 

Charlotte burst out laughing, "Kenz already sent me a message saying exactly that." 

"So, when are you heading back to Stanford?" 

"Tomorrow afternoon. Mal is heading back to Washington tomorrow night." 

"Okay, well I won't keep you as I'm sure you're busy and want to spend as much time with Mal as you can before you leave. Call me when you land, okay?" 

"I will. Love you, Mom." 

"Love you, Charlie." 

"Bye, Mom." 

With Tierna now finished in the bathroom, Charlotte takes her turn and gets cleaned up. She puts on her going out clothes, fixes her hair and even adds a bit of makeup before collecting her stuff and making her way down to Mal's room. 

Knocking on the door, Andi answers and lets her in, "Mal, Charlie's here." 

"K, I'll be right out." 

Charlotte takes a seat on the end of one of the beds. 

"Good game today." 

"Thanks, it seemed like the ball kept finding me today." 

"That's for sure, Pinoe better watch her back, the team's got themselves a new playmaker on the rise." 

"Did you know that Coach Paul told Jill that I could be a difference-maker?" 

"Makes sense, you've always upped your level of play when needed and if today's game was any indication you've learned how to pass and not try and score all the goals." 

"Hey! I've always passed, just maybe not as often as I should've. Being around this group of players and seeing their skills on full display has made me a better player." 

"Good to hear. So, you're still planning on moving in with us once your term is over, right?" 

Charlotte nods, "Yep, still have a mountain of work, assignments and finals to get through first though."

Charlotte feels some arms wrap around her from behind followed by a kiss on the cheek, "Nice to see you wearing the shirt I chose for you." 

Charlotte laughs, "Far be it from me to argue with your wardrobe choices for me." 

"Smart girl. So, we ready to get out of here?"

Mal slides her heels on and Charlotte takes note of how nice her backside looks in her tight black pants. 

"Charlie quit drooling over Mal's ass and get moving."

"Sorry, Sulli, but Mal's ass is mint and needs to be admired." 

Mal turns around, "Babe, I'm already staying with you tonight, so you can't cut it out." 

Charlotte shakes her head, "Nope. Never gonna happen."

Mal walks over to her and kisses her, "Love you." 

"Love you too, Mally." 


	84. Chapter 84

The next morning as soon as the alarm sounds out, Charlotte turns over and shuts it off.

She hears Mal let out a chuckle, "You do realize that the world doesn't stop just because you don't want to get up, right?" 

Charlotte's response is to pull Mal into her and, after moving away some stray hairs to kiss her cheek, "I know. It's just a reminder that our time together is, in fact, just that timed. We're on the clock, and I hate it because it means soon we'll be separated again." 

"Aren't you the same person who is always talking about how infinite our love is?" Mal turns over and smiles at her as she says it. 

Charlotte smiles and leans over to kiss her, "Someone's been paying attention." 

"Baby, I always pay attention when you're talking; I don't always understand what you are bantering on about. I mean, I still have no clue what you meant by the payload systems or atomic frequencies, but you were into it, so there was no way I was going to interrupt you."

"You do know that I never mind if you interrupt me to ask questions, right?"

"Why would I interrupt you when it's kinda sexy seeing you all nerded out?" 

"Nerded out, really?" Charlotte smiles and laughs as she looks at Mal.

Mal laughs, "Yeah, but you're my nerd, and I love you to the moon and back." Mal leans over and kisses her, "We really need to get up, Babe." 

"I hate this!" Charlotte lets out a groan.

Mal pulls the covers off of both of them, "Get up Wikipedia before I dump water on you!" 

"No! That was freezing!" Charlotte lets out a fake cough, "And I think I'm getting sick now from it. Maybe I should go to Washington with you so that you can look after me?" 

Mal can't help but laugh at her girlfriend's performance, "Oh my God, C.J.! We're only going to be apart for a couple of weeks, not a year, and I'm sure you'll be able to handle it." 

"Fine, but I definitely, won't like it!" 

The couple climbs out of bed, and then each takes their turn in the bathroom, completing their morning routine and getting dressed before they head downstairs to meet up with their teammates for breakfast with their one on one sessions with the coaching staff to follow. 

"Look who finally decided to join us." All eyes turn and look at them as they enter the room and grab some food before sitting down. 

"So, you guys were pretty loud last night; we could hear you out in the hallway." Emily smiles at them as she says it.

Charlotte looks over at her, "I'm sure if you knocked on Jane's door, she would've turned down the television. Hey, do you guys know if she has to pay for the extra restricted movies or if US soccer picks up the tab for that?"

The table bursts out laughing, and Charlotte winks at the former Stanford goalkeeper, who smiles and shakes her head. 

Mal shakes her head, "You couldn't leave it alone, could you?" 

"Mally is all seriousness; I really do think the noise was coming from Jane's room because it sure as heck wasn't coming from ours."

"You think Jane had company last night? Who? One of us?" 

"Babe, we're in Houston, and Jane plays here, chances are she knows people and or is seeing someone from here." 

"Makes sense. So, how do you feel about the end of term push you are about to walk back into?" 

"I should be okay. I've stayed on top of all the reading and assignments while I've been away. I'll probably have to make up a couple of labs, but that's fine." 

"What about the other thing?" Mal lowers her voice as she asks.

"Under control, edits are underway, and I'll finish them once I'm back at the apartment. It's a different editor this time around. Hopefully, that doesn't affect the finished product." 

"I hope not." 

They finish eating their breakfast and drinking the not so great hotel coffee before sitting around and conversing with each other as they are called away one at a time. 

Mal is called in, and Charlotte sits there playing on her phone until Alex takes a seat beside her. 

"Hey, Charlie."

"S'up, Alex?" 

"Not much. Got tired of listening to Pinoe and Ash, so I figured I'd come over and hang with you for a bit." 

"Cool." Charlotte sets her phone down on the table. "You looking forward to getting back to Orlando?" 

Alex smiles, "Yeah, hopefully, we can turn things around and not end up at the bottom of the table this season."

Charlotte laughs, "Mal seems to think that the Spirit is going to be the bottom dwellers this year." 

"I guess we'll see. So, what about you Charlie, what are your plans now?" 

"Head back to Stanford and finish up my term, then join Mal in Washington. I already have a trainer, and everything lined up for when I get there, so I should be good." 

Mal returns to the room, "Alex, you're up."

Alex stands up, "Good luck, Charlie." She smiles and then makes her way out of the room. 

"How'd your meeting go?" 

Mal takes a seat beside her. "It was just the usual review of camp and the games, highlighting some good stuff and then some areas that I should continue to focus on." 

"Are you okay with what they said?" 

Mal nods, "Yeah, nothing that I didn't expect to say, so it's all good." 

Charlotte nods and wraps her arm around Mal, pulling her in and leaning her head against her girlfriend's. Mal snuggles into her side and inhales, "Do you think I could have your sweatshirt to take me?" 

Charlotte laughs, "On the condition that you give me back the Cardinal one that I know is hiding in your suitcase." 

"But, I sleep in that one." 

"Fine. Note to self, buy more sweatshirts so Mally can steal them." 

Mal lets out a laugh at the comment. "I'm going to miss you." 

"I know, but as you said, it's only for a couple of weeks, and we'll both be busy doing our thing so that the time will fly by." 

"Charlie, you're up." Charlotte and Mal look up to where Alex is standing and nod. 

Mal kisses her cheek and stands up, "I'll be in my room packing, come and find me when you're done." 

"Will do. Love you." 

"Love you, too." 

Mal heads out of the room, and then Charlotte makes her way across the room and out the side door down the hallway to where the conference room is. 

She knocks on the door and is called inside.

"Have a seat, Charlotte." 

She sits and looks at them and waits. Jill Ellis smiles at her, knowing that the up and coming star is nervously waiting to hear her play's analysis from the team of experts. 

"Relax, Charlotte, we have nothing but good things to say about your performance on and off the field. You tested really well, so whatever you've been doing, keep doing it. As for your game performance, we're going to show you a couple of clips from the first match and then the second, and we want your honest opinion as to what you did wrong or could improve on, okay?" 

Charlotte nods and watches the screen as one of her turnovers from the first game of the series is played. 

"Tell us what you saw in that particular play." 

"I held the ball long enough that it to allowed them to readjust their position and close off the opening. Rather than passing back to Tierna, I then tried to get fancy and sneak the ball through, only to have the pass intercepted." 

"Okay, next clip, what did you do differently here?" 

"Pulled two players towards me and then sent the ball directly into the path I knew Alex would take. In the first game, I was admittedly nervous and made some questionable choices. In the second game, I was more relaxed, kept my wits, head up, and I think I executed what was asked of me."

"Charlotte, we want you to work on your decision making. We already know you can finish given a chance, but we have a team full of finishers. We need someone who reads the play and reacts, creates space and gets the ball where it needs to go. Do you understand?" 

"I do."

"Good. Now, on a more personal note, Dawn looked over your results and bloodwork and has some recommendations for you."

Charlotte looks over at Dawn, "You're not going to tell me that I need to cut ice cream out of my diet, are you?" 

Dawn laughs, "How about cutting back on the ice cream and adding healthier options to your diet instead. I've created some meal plan ideas for you and some guidelines to follow, I'll email them to you shortly, and if you have any questions, you can always call or email me."

"Okay, is that everything?" 

"For now, yes. We'll send you an email with further information soon. Can you send Pinoe back, please?" 

Charlotte stands and nods, "Thank you." 

Making her way back out of the room, she locates Megan and lets her know it's her turn for a debrief.

Looking at the time as she awaits the elevator, Charlotte can help but feel sad that very soon, she is going to be on her way back to California without the woman she loves beside her. 

She lets herself into her room and then props the door open before getting to work on packing up everything and getting ready for her flight. 

"Need any help?" She smiles as she hears Mal's voice. "Well, I seem to have less clothing than I arrived with, so I'm pretty well all packed."

Mal laughs, "How'd your meeting go?"

"Alright, they want me to work on being more decisive when I have the ball at my feet, and also Dawn has created a plan that should help alleviate my monthly cramps by introducing more vitamins and minerals to it." 

"You did tell her about your ice cream problem, right?" 

Charlotte laughs and nods, "I may have mentioned that I always had multiple flavours in the freezer." 

"And?" 

"And promised to cut down on it or source more natural stuff, rather than Ben & Jerry's." 

Mal leans in and can't resist kissing the pout off her girlfriend's face at the thought of switching up her favourites. 

One kiss leads to another, and soon the two are engaged in a rather heated makeout session.

Tierna returns to the room, "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I need to finish packing, and we only have about 45 minutes before we need to meet the shuttle in the lobby."

"It's okay, T." 

Mal and Charlotte spend the next 30 minutes lying on the bed, holding each other and just enjoying the comfort in each other's arms. 

All too soon, it's time for the Stanford contingent to head back to school. 

Mal and Charlotte share one last, long, loving kiss before leaving the hotel room's confines and following Tierna into the elevator and down to the lobby. 

Both fight back the tears as the shuttle pulls up outside the front doors of the hotel. 

"Message me when you land, okay?" 

Charlotte nods, "I will, I promise. Love you, Captain Mally, and I'll see you soon." 

Mal looks at her, the tears clearly visible and sniffles, "Love you, C.J." 

They share one last hug before Charlotte pulls her suitcase along behind her and makes the walk out the doors to the shuttle. She looks back and softly smiles and Mal before climbing up the steps of the vehicle. 

Charlotte lets the tears fall on the way to the airport and then tries to make herself look somewhat presentable before they head inside. 

Mal pushes the button for the elevator and waits for it to land in the lobby. When it does, she is met by arms wrapping around her and a shoulder to cry on. 

"I figured you could use a friend right about now." 

"Thanks, Linds. Where's Sonny? I thought the two of you were together." 

"We were, but the draw of working on her dance moves with Crystal was more powerful." 

"In other words, very soon we will be seeing some videos pop up on Instagram of the two of them." 

"I think Ash and Pinoe were headed in that direction as well, so it could be a party." 

Mal lets out a laugh, "Thanks for hanging with me, Linds." 

"Well, it never hurts to have extra hands to help pack." Lindsey looks at her and smiles as she says it.

"I see what you did there. Let's go." 

Mal and Lindsey head to her room to pack and chat. 


	85. Chapter 85

A few weeks later and Charlotte is making final arrangements and reservations to celebrate Mal's birthday in style. With the help of Andi and Rose, she has been able to ensure that there will be roses delivered to their shared apartment on the day, along with some of Mal's favourite treats and that they will be having supper together at a fancy restaurant surrounded by candlelight. 

New Message

Charlie: Thank you for all your help coordinating everything, Sulli. 

Andi 🌞: You're welcome. Call or message when you need a pickup.

Charlie: I'll be landing pretty late, so I'll probably just grab a car.

Andi 🌞: No, you won't. I'll come and get you. Mal would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you nor would I be able to forgive myself. 

Charlie: Okay. I need to get back to studying, writing and packing, see you in a few days, Sulli. 

Andi 🌞: Good luck with your finals. 

Charlie: Thanks.

The next few days pass by in a blur as Charlotte finishes off all of her requirements for school including submitting her final assignments and writing an exam. She is confident that she aced everything and will maintain her All-Academic standing as a result. 

One last training or fun session with the Stanford girls and they say their goodbyes. Some moving on to bigger and better things while others discuss the possibility of repeating as Champions and the new players that are incoming.

Charlotte and Alana make the walk back to the apartment together afterwards, along with one last pizza to share before they go their separate ways.

"I'm going to miss this." Alana smiles as she and Charlotte watch a show together. 

"You're going to miss eating food that I paid for or my company?" 

"Both! But mostly the free food." 

"I always knew you only liked me for my money." 

"More like your sugar momma's money." 

Charlotte stands up and looks at Alana, "Lan, there's something I need to tell you." 

"I already know that you're planning on proposing." 

"That's true, but, there's something else that I've been keeping from you." 

"You're not leaving Stanford are you?" 

"No. Definitely, not." Charlotte sits back down and does her very best to put on a serious face for her friend. 

"Umm... I'm just going to come straight out and say it, I'm J.C. Glass, the writer behind the Known Universe books." 

Alana bursts out laughing, "Yeah, right." 

"It's true. This apartment is mine, not Mal's. You can ask her if you don't believe me." 

"You're serious, aren't you?" 

Charlotte nods, "Yeah. I'm sorry that I haven't been honest with you about it from the start. Wait? You don't actually sound all that surprised with the news, something you'd care to share?" 

"I'm not. I've actually been waiting for you to tell me yourself. Don't be upset with her, but, Mal told me a few months back and asked me not to let on that I knew. She wanted to make sure that someone here had your back if there were any issues." 

"Oh, did she tell anyone else that you're aware of?" 

Alana shakes her head, "No, only me. But, I do have a bone to pick with you about the fact that apparently Sanchez knows and I didn't. Also, in case you are wondering I haven't shared the information with anyone else, nor do I plan on it. For what it's worth, I've read the books and they're incredible and to know that one of my besties wrote them is pretty fucking awesome." 

Charlotte leans over and hugs her friend, "Thanks, Lan. I'm really glad that you know; it's been eating me up inside not being able to tell you or talk to you about it. Ash, found out accidentally; I didn't have passwords on my computer or phone and she found my files. I've learned from my mistakes and now both have been safeguarded in order so that hopefully that doesn't happen again."

Alana laughs, "That's why when your baggage didn't arrive you were all upset and thankful that you had your laptop; it wasn't about protecting any questionable pictures or video on it, it was the stories."

Charlotte nods, "Exactly." 

"Mal mentioned that you were working on a prequel of sorts to the series, any eta on it?" 

Charlotte laughs, "That's in the editor and publishing company's hands now. Possibly, you're going to have to wait until just before the movie premiere. They are planning on doing a huge merchandise push as well as re-releasing the books with alternate covers and dropping Revelation then as well." 

"Revelation? That's the prequel?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Yep. So, are you going to help me finish packing now or what?" 

"I came for the free food, but, I guess I can stay to help you pack." 

"Thanks." 

A day later and she finds herself taking one last look around the apartment, ensuring that everything is off, shut down and or unplugged if necessary before then calling for an Uber to pick her up and drive her to the airport. 

Sitting in the back of a strangers car, she takes the time to send a quick message. 

New Message

Charlie: Headed to the airport now. I'll message you when I land. 

Andi 🌞: Okay. See you soon.

After she gets checked in for her flight and hands over her suitcase, Charlotte grabs something to eat while she waits for her flight to be called. 

Once aboard her flight to Washington, Charlotte puts her head back and tries to get some sleep. Stretching out she's grateful that she had the foresight to splurge on a first-class ticket for the flight. It also helps that she wasn't really in the mood to see or speak with anyone aside from her beautiful girlfriend, who has been led to believe that she is arriving the next day rather than later that evening. 

Waking up after a few hours, she checks the time on her phone and sees if any messages have come through before opening up her laptop to check her emails. She responds to a few, mostly from her sister with regards to her alter ego and asking if she has finalized her proposal plans yet. 

She sends Mackenzie back a message letting her know that she will be in touch about "Operation Ring Pop," once she knows more. 

With that finished off, she eyes up the novel in her bag but instead decides to put on some Netflix and chill out watching some epic baking and cake decorating fails until the announcement comes over the intercom that they will be landing soon. 

Charlotte makes quick work of packing her stuff back up and can't contain the grin from spreading across her face as she thinks about how close she is to seeing her girl. 

She disembarks and sends Andi a message letting her know that she's landed and is just waiting for her bags. 

New Message

Charlie: Just waiting for my bags. 

Andi 🌞: Okay, I'm in the cell lot, message when you're at the arrivals door. 

Charlie: 👍

Finally, her bags, show up and she stacks them on the cart, not wanting to carry them because well, they're heavy and she doesn't flex for anyone except Mal. She sends Andi another quick message and then follows the signage to the door. 

Hearing a horn honk, she looks up and sees Andi pulling to the curb. 

"Hurry up, it's a stopping zone, not a parking one and I don't want to get a ticket because of your sloth-like movements."

Charlotte laughs, "Missed you, too, Sulli." 

She slams the trunk down after putting her bags inside it and climbs in the passenger seat. 

"Was that really necessary?" 

"No. But it was fun. Does Mal have any idea?" 

Andi shakes her head, "No, she's already in bed and Rose said she would message me if she gets up in the meantime." 

After a bit of a drive, they pull up to a curb outside of a building and Andi parks.

"Welcome home." 

"Do all the Spirit girls live here?" 

Andi shakes her head, "About half of us, some of the other girls live in another building not far from here." 

"Cool." 

"You ready to surprise, Mal?" 

Charlotte smiles, "Can't wait." 

She and Andi collect her bags from the trunk of the car and then she follows her former Stanford Captain inside and up a couple of flights of stairs.

"No elevator?" 

"There is, but it takes forever, so we usually just use the stairs. Now, shush, we don't want to wake anyone, because trust me some of these girls need all of their beauty sleep in order not to be bitches." 

Charlotte lets out a laugh before following Andi inside the apartment and finding Rose laying on the couch watching Tanked. 

"Rosie, we aren't getting a fish tank." 

"I know, but they're pretty to look at." She shuts off the television and walks over to Charlotte giving her a hug. "I'll see you guys in the morning, I'm tired." 

"Night Rose."

"Shocking, I always figured with how pale she is that Rose was at least part Vampire and didn't need to sleep." 

Andi rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Mal's room is the last door on the left. I'll see you in the morning. And Charlie?"

"Yeah?" 

"Try and keep the noise down, because I really don't want to listen or hear the two of you." 

"No guarantees, Sulli; Mal can get kinda loud at times." 

Andi shakes her head, "No, now, I'm thinking about it. I need to go to bed. Night, Charlie." 

"Night Sulli." 

Charlotte takes off her shoes and adds them to the pile by the door and then removes her jacket tossing it over the back of the couch, before then slowly walking towards Mal's door. Opening it she sees a bump under the covers where her girlfriend is asleep and lets herself in before shutting the door behind her. 

She strips down and out of her clothes with the exception of her shirt and underwear and then makes her way over to the bed, lifting the covers and sliding in beside Mal. She wraps her arm around the familiar body and takes in her smell, trying not to giggle when she notices that Mal is wearing one of her sweatshirts in bed. 

Pulling the hair away from Mal's face she kisses her cheek, "Night, beautiful. Sweet dreams." 

The next morning, Mal's alarm sounds out and she attempts to roll over to shut it off, but is instead met with an arm wrapped around her. Focusing her eyes, she sees Charlotte smiling at her. 

"C.J." 

"Hey, beautiful, you might wanna turn that off before you wake up the entire household." 

"You might wanna let go of me then, so I can." 

"I don't ever plan on letting you go, Mally." 

Mal smiles as she leans in and kisses her, before reaching over and shutting off the annoying beeping. "I thought you weren't coming until later today?" 

"I changed my plans and Andi picked me up last night."

"Remind me to thank her, but, why, didn't you tell me?" 

"Umm... do I really need to explain to you how a surprise is supposed to work?" 

"Don't be a smartass." 

Charlotte laughs, "Sorry, it's in my DNA." 

"C.J. can you just stop talking right now and kiss me already?" 

"Morning breath, Babe." 

"I'll make an exception, now come here before I change my mind." 

"Yes, dear." 

They both smile into the kiss and allow each other access as the need to taste each other takes over. Charlotte lets out a moan as Mal's hand slides underneath her shirt and begins caressing her breast. 

"I've missed you so much, Mal." 

Mal soon helps her out of her shirt and her mouth replaces her hand teasing and sucking away on the nipple of the woman she loves. 

KNOCK, KNOCK

"We're leaving for training in half an hour with or without you, Mal."

"Okay." 

Mal looks down at a very disappointed Charlotte, "To be continued?"

Charlotte nods, "Definitely. Love you." 

"Love you, too. I need to get up and moving now before Sulli really does leave me behind." 

"Do you mind if I just crash while you're gone?" 

"Go for it. By the way, the password for the internet is wilmajeanwrinkles123." 

"Let me guess, Rose created it?" 

Mal laughs, "Yeah and we haven't had the heart to change it on her." 

Mal climbs out of the bed and makes her way over to the closet and her dresser, changing into her training clothes and throwing extras into her bag, before making her way out of the room to the bathroom to finish getting ready. 

In the meantime, Charlotte closes her eyes and after wrapping her arms around Mal's pillow and inhaling her scent, falls back asleep relatively quickly. 

A few hours later, Mal, Andi and Rose return home from training and find her still asleep. 

"You going to wake her up before she sleeps the day away?" 

"Not until there is coffee and food at the ready. I love C.J. but she can be a real bear on an empty stomach." 

Charlotte lets out a yawn, "Am I at least a cute bear?" 

"Yeah, you're a real teddy bear, now, get your butt up Gordon before I make you run laps!" 

Charlotte laughs, "You can't make me do anything anymore, Sulli."

"Perhaps not, but Mal, sure as heck can." 

"Babe, you wouldn't." 

Mal looks at her and smiles, "Oh but I would. Besides that Sulli, Rose and I all made a deal that while you were here we would keep you motivated and in shape so that you're ready for the next batch of friendlies." 

"Urgh, do I really have to go running right now though? I'm kinda exhausted mentally and physically." 

"You can have today off, but tomorrow you're getting at it." 

"Maybe, I should just go home where I can hibernate without judgement." 

Mal laughs, "Not going to happen, Babe. Your Mom and Kenz are on our side and don't worry, we promise not to hurt you." 

"Mal promised not to hurt you, I never did." 

"Go away, Sulli!" 

"Fine, guess that means no food for you because apparently, I'm the only one who can boil water." 

Charlotte looks over at Mal who realizes that she is about to be exposed. "Hey, Sulli, you are aware that Mally can cook as well, right? I mean I taught her quite a few things and recipes while she was with me." 

"Oh, really." Andi looks at Mal, "Guess who's on supper duty tonight then." 

Mal gives her a look, "It's okay, Babe; I'll help." 

After supper and watching a few shows, Mal takes Charlotte's hand and leads her back to the bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind her before looking at her girlfriend as though she was her prey. 

She walks towards her, "Now, where were we?" 

Charlotte leans into her, "Right about here." 

Their lips meet and it takes very little time for their clothes to be discarded and them to make it over to the bed to get reacquainted with each other. 

A/N: Make sure to hit the kudos button and let me know you want more. 


	86. Chapter 86

Mal walks up and is surprised to find that she all alone in the bed. It's her birthday, and she can only assume that her girlfriend is already out in the kitchen making her breakfast that she will soon deliver to their bedroom. 

She gets up and makes a quick trip to the bathroom to complete her morning routine before getting comfortable in the bed with a book. Soon, the door opens, and sure enough, Charlotte leads the way carrying a tray with her breakfast on it along with a coffee, followed up by Andi carrying in two dozen red roses already in vases and Rose with a teddy bear and present in her hands. 

Charlotte places the tray down and leans over to kiss Mal, "Happy Birthday, Mally. Love you." 

"Love you, too."

"Happy Birthday, Mal. Come on, Rosie, let's leave the two of them alone for a bit." 

"But, I want to see what's in the box." 

"I'm sure you'll see it later. Now, let's go." 

Mal and Charlotte laugh as Andi leads Rose out of their bedroom. 

Mal looks at the present on the bed, "Can I open it, now?" 

Charlotte shakes her head, "Not yet. Eat first and then presents." 

"Presents? As in more than one?" 

"Always." Charlotte smiles, "I'll be right back. I'm just going to grab my breakfast." 

"The roses are beautiful, C.J." 

"They pale in comparison to the beauty that is you."

Mal laughs, "Oh, no, here we go again." 

"What does that mean?"

Mal laughs, "Nevermind. So, what's on the agenda today?" 

"Well, unfortunately, you have a game tomorrow, so it can't be as much as I would like, but there's always later for that. How about you open the box now, and I'll explain."

Mal takes Charlotte's present and unwraps it before opening the box it contains to find a gold chain. "It's beautiful, Baby. Can you put it on me?" 

As Mal lifts her hair, Charlotte places the chain around her neck and does up the clasp. 

Charlotte walks over to their closet and retrieves a larger box, and hands it to Mal, who opens it to find a black dress with another smaller box on top of it. Inside which there are earrings that match the chain. 

"C.J., this is all too much." 

"It doesn't even come close to being too much, Babe. Now that you've opened them, I'd really like it if you would do me the honour of accompanying me to an early dinner this evening at Bourbon Steak?"

"Of course, I will. Am I to assume that you have already taken care of an outfit for yourself to wear this evening?" 

"Yes. Lan helped me choose a navy blue number before I left Cali. I know how much you like me in blue." 

Mal smiles, "That, I do, it makes your eyes pop," she rolls the p as she says it causing Charlotte to laugh.

Charlotte leans in and kisses her, "I love you." 

"Love you, too, but if you are thinking of starting anything, be aware that our roommates are home and the door is unlocked." 

Charlotte rolls her eyes, "Wonder how much it would cost to soundproof the room?" 

"C.J!" 

Charlotte laughs, "What? I'm serious!" 

They hear a knocking on the door, "Speaking of the roommates." 

"Mal, if you're decent can you come out to the living room, please?" 

Mal looks at Charlotte, "Should I be concerned?" 

Charlotte shrugs, "I don't know; this one's not on me." 

They make their way out to the living room, and Mal smiles when she a couple of their USWNT teammates and Chicago Red Stars players, Julie Ertz and Alyssa Naeher, sitting on the couch with Rose. 

The two stand up and hug Mal and Charlotte, "What are you guys doing here?" 

"We wanted to see if we could pry Mal away from Charlie long enough to have lunch with us, so we could celebrate her birthday."

Mal looks at Charlotte, who smiles and nods, "Go ahead and enjoy yourself, you deserve it, beautiful." 

Mal wraps her arms around Charlotte's waist and hugs her before placing a loving kiss on her lips.

"I'm just going to change and make myself presentable; I'll be out shortly." 

Mal heads towards the bedroom to get ready for her lunch date. 

"You can come with us as well, if you want, Charlie. We were only kidding about not including you." 

"I'm good, Lyss, I appreciate the invite, but I have something that I can do while Mal is out." 

Alyssa nods, "So, Charlie have you read, any books by J.A. Jance?" 

"I'm actually in the middle of reading, Partner in Crime, right now. Have you read it?" 

"Not yet, how are you liking it?" 

"It's really good. I obviously don't want to expose the plot to you if you haven't read it yet, but you should." 

Andi yells, "MAL, HURRY UP CHARLIE AND LYSS ARE TALKING BOOKS!"

"You know Sulli for you having graduated Stanford, you really dislike books." 

"Yeah, because maybe I had enough of them while I was there to last me for a while. And unlike you, Charlie, I'm not a speed reader, nor do I have a photographic memory." 

Charlotte smiles and shrugs before continuing her conversation with Alyssa. 

Mal walks out of the bedroom, "Am I dressed okay, Jules?" 

Julie smiles and nods, "Yeah, we should get a move on before these two break out some sort of brain game or even worse a crossword puzzle." 

"I heard that." 

"You were meant to, Lyss; now, let's go." 

The players all stand up and Mal and Charlotte share another hug and kiss. 

"Lyss, Julie, can you please have her back by no later than 5? We have reservations and need to get fancied up. Well, I need to get fancied up, Mal is always perfect."

Mal kisses her cheek, "Stay out of trouble." 

"Me? I never get into trouble." 

They all look at her, "What? Sonny double-dog dared me to do it!" 

"Uh-huh, Is that story you're sticking with?" 

Charlotte nods and smiles widely, "Love you, Mally." 

Mal laughs, "Love you, too." 

Once Mal is out of the apartment, Charlotte gathers up Andi and Rose on the couches. 

"S'up, Charlie?" 

"I figured out when I want to propose. But, I need to make sure that you guys are still on board for helping me to surprise Mal with it." 

"Of course, we are! Now, spill the details." 

Charlotte laughs, "Okay, so, taking into account the Spirit and US schedule, I figured the best time to do it is just after the friendlies when the team is home for two weeks."

"So, that's like a month and a half away from now, right?" 

Charlotte nods. "I'm going to leave shortly and head to the Gallery and see what the procedure is or if I can even reserve the court. If not, then might have to change my plans." 

"Can I come with you? I'm tired of being stuck in the apartment and Sulli's grumpy because Drew isn't around." 

"Sure, Rose." 

Charlotte and Rose walk around the Gallery checking out the different areas and buildings. 

"I've never really taken the time to enjoy the sculptures and see the gallery. Thanks for taking the time to explain some of them to me, Charlie." 

"No problem, you know Mal calls me Wikipedia, because as she says I know a little about a lot of things." 

Rose laughs, "So, this is the area where you were thinking of proposing right?"

Charlotte nods, "It's bigger than I remembered it being." 

"Is that going to be a problem?" 

"I'll figure something out. I just really want everything to be perfect."Charlotte takes out her phone and snaps some pictures along with a quick video, before typing up some notes for herself.

"Hey Rose, you wanna grab a quick snack before we head back to the apartment?" 

Rose agrees and the two have something to eat in the cafe area of the gallery before returning to the apartment. 

When they get back, they find Mal, Andi, Julie and Alyssa all sitting and chatting. 

"Hey, where'd the two of you end up? Sulli said you had a mission." 

Charlotte looks at Andi and then Mal, "Nothing major, would you believe that Rose has never been to the National Gallery of Art?" 

Mal looks at Rose, "I'm sorry, Rosie did she bore you with random facts?" 

"HEY! You always said you liked my random facts!" 

Mal smiles, "I do, but sometimes you have a tendency to go on about stuff longer than necessary." 

"Is this about the Washington Monument?" 

Mal nods, "I really could have done without all the background info on it." 

"It's not my fault you thought that I was talking about sex when I said the word apex." 

"C.J! Bedroom, now!" 

"Yes, dear." 

Charlotte follows Mal down the hall and into the bedroom laughing. 

"I'm sorry, Mally; I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"It's okay, you can make it up to me later." 

"Oh, really and how exactly am I doing that? And did you forget you have a game tomorrow?" 

"Damn it! Okay, then you can make it up to me by giving me a massage after the game." 

Charlotte leans over and whispers, "Okay" in her ear before then heading back out to the living room.

A short time later, their guests leave to head back to the hotel while Mal and Charlotte begin to get ready for their date night. 

"C.J. can you zip me up?" 

Charlotte shakes her head and smiles, "Nah, I'm enjoying the scenery." 

"Please?" 

Charlotte takes in Mal in front of her and then slowly zips her up. She kisses Mal's shoulder, "You look good enough to eat." 

"Is this entire evening going to be filled with you throwing lines and innuendo towards me?" 

"I'm sorry, I'm really not meaning to come off like ... crap, I said, come. I mean, I'm just relaxed and happy and in love with you." 

Mal smiles, "I love you, too, but can you please tone things down?" 

Charlotte nods, "I'll do my best." 

"Good." Mal finishes touching up her makeup and putting in her new earrings. 

Rose walks into the bedroom with Charlotte, "I thought that Rose could take some pictures of us all dressed up." 

They spend the next few minutes laughing, kissing and posing for pictures before finally putting on their jackets, collecting their purses and then heading out for the restaurant. 

Once they are seated at their candlelit table, the waiter pours them glasses of champagne before leaving the bottle. 

"Babe, we can't drink that." 

Charlotte laughs, "I probably should have mentioned that I put in a request for non-alcoholic champagne. I'm not sure what it tastes like, but hopefully, it's okay." 

They raise their glasses, "Happy Birthday, beautiful. I love you." 

"Love you." 

They clink the glasses and sample the drink, agreeing that it doesn't taste too bad. 

Looking over the menu, their eyes roll at the options. 

"C.J., there are no prices on the menu."

Charlotte nods, "I know. It's okay, order whatever you like; remember I can afford it. I'm gonna get some of the truffle mac n cheese it sounds interesting." 

"I hope you are planning on ordering some real food to go with it." 

"Should I be concerned that the steak is from a place called Snake River? I want to eat steak, not snake." 

Mal burst out laughing, "Please, I dare you to ask the waiter about that." 

"If you dare me then that means that I have to ask." 

"If you do, I'm leaving you here to eat alone." 

"You wouldn't!" 

"No, I wouldn't because I'm hungry and I didn't get all dressed up to go home and eat leftovers." 

Charlotte refrains from asking about the origin of the steak while placing her order and soon they are chatting and laughing while waiting for the food to arrive. 

When it does they dive into it, "Mal, try the mac n cheese, it's so good!"

"Want to try one of my scallops?" Mal spears one on her fork and then feeds her across the table. 

They continue to share their meals across the table, happy that they both got something different to eat and try. 

"Okay, I don't know about you, Mally, but I'm full!" 

"Wow, Charlotte Gordon declaring herself to be full, that very seldom happens." 

"I don't even have room for dessert."

"Oh, really?" Mal gives her a look. 

"Game tomorrow, remember?" 

Mal laughs, "I do, but that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun before bed." 

"And now look who's all about the lines and innuendo." 

"What can I say besides I'm happy and in love with my best friend, and I can't wait for our future together, C.J." 

Charlotte reaches across the table and takes Mal's hand, squeezing it, "I can't wait for our future together, either, Mally. How about I square up the bill, and then we head home to have a bath together?" 

"That sounds like a perfect way to end the day." 

As they ride in the back of a car home, they share a few kisses and snuggles. 

"You know that's the first time I've actually seen you use that magic card of yours to pay for something." 

"It doesn't hurt to use it now and again, but I'm not making it a habit. Just because I have it doesn't mean I should flaunt it; besides that, I don't want to deal with any questions about it."

"Makes sense. Has Kenz had any problems using hers?" 

"She was stopped once and questioned when I got her to buy our Mom some jewelry for her birthday, but, you know Kenz, she can talk her way out of anything." 

"You mean you both can talk your way out of anything." 

Charlotte laughs, "Maybe, but I seem to recall you playing the I'm Mal Pugh, and I play soccer for the USWNT to get out of a speeding ticket." 

"That was only once, and I admit to flirting with him to get out of the ticket." 

"As long as flirting was the only thing you did, I'm fine with it. Now, shall we head up, get undressed and let all our stress and cares go down the drain?" 

They stop to share a long kiss, "Thank you for an amazing birthday, C.J." 

"You're welcome, Captain Mally." 

A/N: Make sure to keep voting and or commenting if you want more of this or any of my stories. 

Much ❤️ always. 


	87. Chapter 87

The next few weeks pass by, and Charlotte and Mal have fallen into a routine with each other and their roommates. 

As Mal sets her bag down by the door, she and Charlotte share one last hug and kiss before the trio of players head out to join their teammates for a trip to Houston and a match against the Dash. 

Having the apartment now to herself, Charlotte goes into full-on proposal prep mode and researches the local area and monuments to create the questions and answers for the scavenger hunt preceding the proposal at the Gallery. 

After having spoken with some higher-ups at the Gallery, explaining her plans and offering them a donation, they agreed to allow the area to be blocked off from the general public for it to take place. Now, she just needs to finalize the details and write the words that will change her life and hopefully Mal's as well. 

First, though, she needs to head off to her own personal training session in order to stay in game shape. Closing off her laptop and notes, she heads into the bedroom to get changed and pack a bag before heading out for a few hours. 

On the way back, she hits up the store and restocks the fridge and cupboards, seeing that they are low and deciding to alleviate the stress of grocery shopping from her roommates and girlfriend. She doesn't mind doing it, as it gives her a chance to sneak a few things in the cart that aren't necessarily on Dawn's list of approved foods. 

Once she's done unpacking and putting away everything, she heads in to grab a quick shower and put on some comfies before presumably settling in for several hours in front of her computer screen.

After spending most of the next day compiling information, Charlotte is glad to be able to get comfy on the couch and put the Spirit vs Dash game on. With the Spirit, fresh off of defeating Sky Blue a few days earlier, she's disappointed to find that Mal isn't listed as part of the starting lineup and will instead be on the bench as the opening whistle sounds out. 

Just before the 19-minute mark of the match, Kristie Mewis, a player for Houston, has to be helped off the field in obvious discomfort, and Charlotte finds herself feeling for the player as the camera zooms in on her and she is replaced on the field by Hayley Hanson. 

After generating very few opportunities in the opposition end, Charlotte isn't shocked to see Rachel Daly score and put the home team in the lead just before the halftime whistle sounds out. 

When the second half begins, Mal takes over upfront for Ortega and looks to draw the visitors level.

Off the restart, Houston finds the netting as Kealia Ohai makes no mistake in putting them up by two, less than a minute after the whistle. 

Play gets back underway, and in the 54th minute, Spirit midfielder, Banini is able to jump forward on the play and put one past Dash keeper Jane Campbell to get them back in the match. 

In the 78th minute, it's Daly once more finding the back of the goal for the home side to make it 3 - 1. 

Minutes later, Mal's leg is clipped, and she goes down holding her knee. Charlotte stands up and moves closer to the screen, trying to read lips and understand what is being said between her girlfriend and training staff. With the angle of the camera and bodies in the way, all she is able to pick out is the word knee.

Ashley Hatch makes it a final of 3 - 2 for Houston in added time, but Charlotte is beyond caring about the final score. She wants to know what's going on with her girl and how serious her injury may or may not be.

New Message

C.J. 🚀: Are you okay? Please call or message and let me know. ❤️

She paces around the apartment, waiting to hear back from her girlfriend but instead gets a call from Andi. 

"Tell me that she's alright, Sulli." 

"They took her to the hospital to do some scans. She doesn't have her phone with her. As soon as I know something or she gets back, one of us will call you, okay?" 

"Thanks, Sulli. Is it bad? It looked bad on the screen." 

"I honestly don't know. She was on crutches and wrapped when she left. Just hang in there, Charlie." 

"I'll do my best." 

She sets the phone down on the table as the tears stream down her face, wishing she could be there to hold and comfort the love of her life. 

A few hours later, and she is doing her best to focus on the book currently being held in her hands when her phone rings. The book quickly hits the floor as she reaches over to grab it.

"Hello?" 

"Hey, Babe." 

"Mally, you okay?" 

"Sprained PCL in my right knee. Rough guesstimate, they figure I'm going to be out 2 to 3 months." 

"Baby, I'm so sorry. That means you're going to miss the friendlies coming up." 

"I know. Stop beating yourself up about, there was nothing you could have done to prevent it, and I guess now I'll be spending even more time with you while I recover." 

"Anything you need, you'll have my Queen." 

She hears Mal laugh, "They gave me some meds that are making me drowsy. I'm going to sleep now. I'll see you tomorrow. Love, you." 

"Love you, too, Mally." 

The next day, Charlotte needing something to do cleans the apartment from top to bottom and then makes sure that supper is made and just needs to be heated up for when the players arrive back home from Texas. The apartment door opens and Rose enters carrying both her and Mal's bags. Then Andi walks inside followed by Mal, hobbling along on her crutches.

Charlotte feels something inside her break when she sees Mal's leg all wrapped up.

"Baby, come and sit. Do you need anything? Do you want tea or something to eat? I made supper but it's kinda early for that. I can make you a sandwich or ... " 

"C.J. can you just help me into the bedroom, please, I need to get off my feet."

"Of course." 

"Charlie, I'll take a sandwich." 

"Make it yourself, Rose!" 

"Rude!" 

They all laugh as Charlotte collects Mal's stuff and then leads her into their bedroom, getting her situated on the bed.

Charlotte lays down beside Mal on the bed and leans over to kiss her, moving the hair out of her face as she does so. "You're okay, right?" 

"I'll be fine. Can we have a nap together before supper?" 

"Yes." 

Charlotte wakes up and watches Mal as she continues to sleep. Kissing her cheek, she does her best to quietly leave the room so that she can sleep for a bit longer. Making her way out to the kitchen area, she grabs a drink from the fridge. 

"How's she doing?" Charlotte finds Andi sitting on the couch with her phone in hand. 

"Hard to say, did you eat yet?" 

"Yeah, it was really good and I very much appreciated not having to make something when we got home." 

"I figured it was the least that I could do. Do you think that you can help me dish out and carry some food for Mal and me? I know she needs her sleep, but she also should eat. Next time we go to the store we need to see if we can find those tray things to carry food on." 

Andi smiles and nods, "Yeah, we definitely should." 

"Where's Rose at?" 

"Probably, Facetiming, her dog." 

Charlotte laughs, "Sounds about, right." 

The two carry the plates down the hallway to Mal and Charlotte's bedroom and Charlotte opens the door, "Mal, baby, time to wakeup. You need to eat something." 

"Can you help me to the bathroom, first?" 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Yeah." 

Andi sets the plates down on the desk, "I'll go and grab the drinks for you." 

"Thanks, Sulli." 

The next morning, Charlotte finds herself wide awake before the alarm goes off and decides to let Mal sleep while she heads out to make coffee and breakfast. 

"You look perplexed, Charlie. What's on your mind?" Andi grabs a cup of coffee and sits down beside Charlotte.

"I just realized that Mal won't be able to do the scavenger hunt." 

"Right. I know the girls have really been looking forward to it; is there a way we can still have it for them and figure out a way to get Mal to the Gallery at the right time?" 

"Any ideas? Remember, she thinks that I'm going to heading home for a couple of days before camp and not be around then." 

"Mal already knows that we are going to be doing a team bonding exercise during the day leading up to a team event, that we need to dress up for in the evening. What about if we indicate that everything is timed and that they aren't allowed to be at the location of the last clue aka the Gallery prior to a certain time. I'll opt out of the scavenger hunt to "help" her and then fill her in that I know the when and where of the final clue. She doesn't need to know that all the girls already know it's the Gallery, it can be our secret."

Charlotte smiles and nods, "I can make that work. I can't believe I'm going to finally be able to call her my fiancée soon."

Andi laughs, "She still has to say yes, you know." 

"I know. But, I wouldn't be going through all of this if I wasn't 100% certain she was going to say yes." 

"Have you figured out what you are going to say and how you are going to ask yet?" 

"Work in progress. I'm not certain I'll be able to remember my name let alone my words when it comes time." 

Andi starts laughing, "Well, good luck with that. Don't you have a training session to get to soon?" 

"Crap! Can you please deliver Mal her breakfast and let her know that I'll be back in a few hours?" 

"Rosie and I got it covered, go and have fun with training." 

"Thanks. I'll try. Call or message if you need me or anything." 

A few hours later and on her way back to the apartment, Charlotte can't resist the urge to stop and pick out some flowers to brighten up their room and Mal's face. She collects a bunch and then starts to walk towards the cashier before turning around and collecting two more bunches as a way of thanking their roommates for everything.

Walking into the apartment, she finds Mal with her leg propped up on the couch watching a movie with Rose and Andi. She walks over to them and hands each one of them a bunch of flowers, before then kissing Mal, who crinkles her nose. 

"I know, I stink. I'd invite you to join me in the shower, but I don't think in your current state that it would be advisable."

"Definitely not. But, I wouldn't mind a shower, I'm feeling kinda yucky." 

"Okay, give me a few minutes to get some clothes laid out for us and then I'll help you to shower, Mally." 

"Thanks, babe." 

The two share a bit of a makeout session while Charlotte helps Mal to wash while trying to refrain from putting weight on one leg. "Hey, beautiful." Charlotte can't resist one more kiss when she sees Mal's face lit up with a smile. 

After helping Mal out of the shower and to the bedroom, Charlotte helps her to dry off and get dressed, even though Mal is more than able to do that much for herself. 

Laying on their bed afterwards they chat and laugh about random stuff before the conversation turns back to Mal and her recovery. 

"I hate the fact that I need to leave you for a couple of days."

"C.J., I'll be fine. Rose and Sulli are here and the other girls are but a phone call or message away if I need help. Not to mention, I won't be doing much of anything until the swelling and pain begin to subside and you need to sign off on the paperwork for the merch." 

"I could just get Kenz to do it or have it couriered here." 

"No. You haven't seen your Mom or sister for a couple of months and Finn is going to be back home as well and I know you miss him. Go and have fun, after all, it's only for a few days." 

Charlotte smiles and nods, "Honestly, I'd really like to see the stuff for myself before signing off on it. Kenz sent me concept designs, but, I'd like to see the actual thing for myself." 

"Then it's settled. You do your thing and in the meantime, I'll get set up for my rehab and recovery."

"Okay, but for the next week and a half, I'm at your beck and call and will cater to your every whim and want." 

"Full service?" Mal smiles at her. 

"Maybe not everything, but most things." 

Mal leans over and kisses her, "Good to know. Love you, C.J." 

"Love you, too, Mally."

Over the next 10 days, Charlotte works around her training schedule and Mal's rehab schedule while co-ordinating everyone and everything. 

As Mal gets checked over, one afternoon, Charlotte sits in the waiting area and talks to Andi on her phone. 

"Okay, so everything is set up, right?" 

"Yep, the girls and coaching staff all know what's going on and are completely on board with it. When Mal comes to our team meeting, it will be discussed and they will be reminded that they have two hours plus to head home and get dressed for the team event to follow at a mystery location to be revealed during the hunt. 

"Perfect, because I don't think Mal would be very appreciative of our moment taking place with us wearing jeans or trackies; she's going to be disappointed enough to be wearing a brace." 

"That's for sure. Am I to assume that you've already chosen your outfit?"

"I have. I'm actually going to wear the same dress that I wore on Mal's birthday, she loved it, so I'm going to stick with it. Not to mention that there's enough give that I'll be able to get down on one knee. My sister, Kenz, is going to help me with the finer details because we both know how much I suck at the whole being a girl and doing my hair and makeup stuff."

Andi laughs, "Good. Rose and I will keep Mal on task. As far as Mal's concerned it's a team event, presumably a season ticket holder thing and she needs to dress up for it to interact with them and our sponsors."

"Sulli, Mal's coming this way; I gotta go." 

Charlotte stands up, "How'd it go?" 

Mal smiles, "They seem hopeful that I'll be back sooner rather than later, so that's good. Who were you talking to?" 

"Oh, just Sulli, she was checking in as to whose turn it was to make supper."

"It's yours." Charlotte nods, "I know. I already told her that we'd be dining on chicken, rice and an assortment of veggies this evening. Ready to go?" 

"Can we stop at the store on the way home, I need to pick up some personal stuff." 

"How about you message me a list and I'll get what you need." 

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I'm kinda tired now."

"Mally, you were there for me when I hurt my knee and I wouldn't be much of a girlfriend if I wasn't here for you when you need me." 

They stop at the store where Charlotte collects what Mal needs along with some additional supplies for the household before returning home and Mal getting set up on the couch to chat with and watch Charlotte make them supper. 

The remaining days soon pass and the closer it gets the more Charlotte amps up her conversation about going home for a couple of days before joining the US camp and how much she is going to miss Mal while she's away.

She does need to pack a suitcase for a couple of days, but not because she's leaving town or the state; she'll be relocating to a hotel in the city to co-ordinate the last few things, including the arrival of both of their family members from there. 

As she folds up one of her sweatshirts and puts it in the case she feels arms wrap around her from behind and smiles. 

"I'm going to miss you." 

"I offered to buy you a ticket to come with me, but, you can't miss your appointments or that team event thingy." 

"I know. Do you think the black dress I wore on my birthday will be okay to wear for the event?" 

"You looked absolutely gorgeous in it. I'm sure you'll leave everyone in the room either wet or with a hard-on." 

"C.J.!" Mal smacks her and she laughs, "It's true, Babe; if I had a dick it would have been standing at attention for you." 

Mal laughs, "Not sure I want to wear it now knowing it has that effect." 

Charlotte wraps her arms around her and kisses her gently, "You got it, don't be afraid to flaunt it and take lots of pictures for me." 

"I will." They share a few more kisses and hugs before Charlotte needs to leave for the "airport."

"Call me when you get home, fly safely. Love you, Wikipedia." 

Charlotte smiles at the use of her nickname, "I will. Love you, Captain Mally." 

One final peck and Charlotte carries her bag out the door, turning to smile at Mal before leaving her. She climbs into the car and heads directly to the hotel where she will be spending the next few days with Mal's parents, sister, niece as well as her Mom, Kenz and even Finn unbeknownst to her girlfriend.


	88. Chapter 88

A few days later and Charlotte sits in her hotel room, looking out the window over the city as it comes to life below her.

It's finally the day that she's been thinking and dreaming about since the day that a certain Mallory Diane Pugh walked into her life and changed it forever. Well, one of the days, the other being their wedding, but that's another chapter.

Looking down at the black paper in her hands and pen still sitting there unused, she thinks about Mal and how much she loves her and the fact that she can't wait to spend the rest of her life with her. As she does, the tears begin to run down her face, dropping and creating wet spots on the paper.

Charlotte feels herself being embraced and allows herself to be held by her Mom.

"I've written four books, and yet, I can't come up with the words to ask the woman I love to marry me."

"You're overthinking it, Charlie." Carol Gordon takes her hand and Charlotte's and places them over her chest, "Speak from your heart, not your head. The words are there and they will appear when the time is right."

"I hope so."

"Trust me, they are. I'm heading downstairs now to have lunch with Horace and Karen."

"Okay. I'll be here if anyone needs me."

"Do us both a favour and order yourself something to eat. The last thing anyone needs is you being wired from too much caffeine or fainting from not having eaten all day."

Charlotte laughs, "Yeah, I think I've already surpassed my coffee quota for the day. I'll order some food now, think the burgers have gold in them? They should for the price of them."

Carol laughs, "You're the one who chose the hotel and booked the rooms."

"And I don't regret it, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing; I can splurge on making it perfect. Where are Kenz and Finn at? I know they left to get breakfast but didn't come back."

"Last I heard or saw, they were planning on heading to the zoo with Brianna and Marley. Have you talked to Mal yet this morning?"

"No, I should probably call her and keep up the pretense."

Carol nods, "But first, order your burger or I will."

"Yes, Mom."

Carol kisses her cheek, "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Thanks, Mom."

After having eaten the burger as well as the salad that she asked to accompany it rather than french fries, Charlotte feels a lot better and returns to looking at the paper. Closing her eyes, she takes some deep breaths and then opens her eyes to the tattoo on her arm.

She smiles, and soon the words begin finding their way onto the page, as do the tears that freely flow along with them. She can't help but hope that Kenz has waterproof makeup in her bag, because she knows she won't make it through without shedding multiple tears on the day.

New Message

Mally ❤️: Hey.

C.J. 🚀: Hey, yourself. I was just about to call you. How are you doing?

Mally ❤️: I'd be better if you were here with me.

C.J. 🚀: We'll be back together soon, beautiful.

Mally ❤️: Not soon enough.

C.J. 🚀: Rough morning?

Mally ❤️: Yeah. I really don't want to go to the team thing tonight, but I know I have to make an appearance. I'll probably see if I can leave early.

C.J. 🚀: Not too early, and remember you owe me pics.

Mally ❤️: I know. Have to go now. The meeting is just about to start.

C.J. 🚀: Okay, talk soon.

Mally ❤️: Sounds good to me. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

C.J. 🚀: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️  
  
  


Charlotte heads into the bathroom and cleans up before pulling on some clothes and deciding to head downstairs and chat with all the 'rents for a bit.

She pulls out a chair and takes a seat beside her Mom, "Morning, or is it afternoon, now?"

"Close enough."

"How are you doing, Charlie?"

Charlotte smiles, "I've been better, Sir."

"Nervous?" Charlotte nods in response to Karen's question. "Yeah, but, I think it's more about wanting everything to be perfect than being concerned that Mal will turn me down."

"There is no chance that Mallory turns you down. Our daughter loves you and we love you for our daughter. We couldn't have chosen anyone better than you, Charlie, to look after our girl."

"Thank you, Horace. You have no idea how much your love and support mean to me."

"Enough about all this proposal stuff, when's the next you know what coming out?"

Charlotte laughs at Karen's less than subtle way of questioning when to expect Revelation.

"Honestly, I don't know the answer to that question. There have been some delays and the last correspondence I received indicated that they wanted to wait until closer to the big screen release before the other released. I think they are concerned that it may not get the love being from before the others. I haven't even received a finalized copy yet. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my promise to you pertaining to it."

Karen smiles and nods.

"So, what's this about everyone going to the zoo, without me?"

"They figured you might need some space today and Marley couldn't wait to go."

Charlotte smiles, "Finn is pretty funny, so I'm sure he'll keep them all in stitches, with his animal impressions. Hopefully, they don't keep him."  
  
  


New Message:

Rosie 🌹: Sulli asked me to let you know that the meeting just ended and the girls are getting ready to head out for the scavenger hunt soon. She and Mal are heading back to the apartment to rest for a bit before getting ready.

Charlie: Thanks, Rose.

Rosie 🌹: I'm so excited! Can't wait for it!

Charlotte stands up, "Apparently, the wheels are already in motion. The girls are getting ready to start the scavenger hunt. That should take them a few hours and then they will all be heading home to get ready for later. Andi is with Mal and will let me know when they are on their way. I'm going to head back up and grab a shower and see if I can chill for a bit, can you send Kenz my way as soon as they get back, please?"

They all smile and nod in an understanding of the nerves associated with the day and evening events for Charlotte.

Heading back up to her room, Charlotte decides that a nice long shower should help to calm her nerves for a little while and she takes a bit of extra care in ensuring that everything is trimmed, shaved and lotioned up.

"C.J.?"

"Yeah, give me a few Kenz, I'm just about done in here."

Turning off the water, the room is filled with steam and she wraps a towel around herself before walking back out into the main room to collect her hairbrush.

"I wouldn't drop that towel if I were you, Sis."

"Why?"

"Because I'm here."

Charlotte laughs, "Hey, Finn how was the zoo?"

"Okay, for a zoo. Do you by chance have anything that Marley and I can borrow to draw with?"

Charlotte smiles and nods, "There's a pencil case with some markers in my bag and give me a minute and I can set you up with some paper as well."

"Thanks. Brianna apparently left Marley's travel bag in her car at the airport and only realized once they were in the air. I figured the chances were high that you would have something, we could use."

Charlotte passes over the notebook where she'd earlier written down her words. Holding the page with them written on in her hand.

"Okay, Finnegan, time for you to go!"

Finn looks at her and smiles, "I'd hug you, but, that would be a bit weird right now being as though you have no clothes on."

"Finn, close your eyes." Charlotte walks over and wraps her arms around him, holding her tightly, "I'm really glad that you're here."

"Not every day my best friend gets engaged, I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"Thank you, now get out of here; I need to get ready."

"I'll see you there, superstar. Good luck, Charlie."

"Thanks, Finn."  
  
  


"Okay, Kenz, time to work your magic."

"It's going to be pushing it to make you look presentable in only a short time, but, I'll do my best."

"Kenz? Her sister turns to look at her, expecting a comeback of some sort, "Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

An hour later and Mackenzie takes a step back from her sister and smiles, "All done."

Charlotte stands up and looks in the mirror, "Not bad, Kenz. Can you zip me up?" Walking over she slides her dress of the hanger and then steps into it, allowing her sister to zip her up.

As she puts on her heels, Charlotte hopes that she is able to walk in them without falling on her face or ass. She puts on her jacket and collects her purse, key card and phone and drops them inside.

Mackenzie looks at her and smiles, "Do you have everything?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

Charlotte's eyes go big as she looks at her sister, "Oh my God, the ring, I almost forgot the ring!" Mackenzie can't contain her laughter as Charlotte pulls out the box containing the Ring Pop case and ring and adds it to her purse along with the notes she wrote herself earlier.

"That could have been really bad." Mackenzie smiles and nods.

"Don't worry, C.J. I would have been right behind you with it. Now, if you're sure you have everything you need, it's probably time to head to the Gallery and make sure everything is set up to your specifications."

They share one last hug, "I'll see you soon. Remember to breathe, okay? We really don't need a hospital or ambulance today."

Charlotte laughs and gives her a thumbs-up, "Breathe, check, I can do that." Charlotte gives her a smile before then making her way out of the room and catching a car for the relatively short drive, opting not to walk in heels along the busy streets and sidewalks.

She steps out in front of the building and feels the butterflies circling around inside her, she takes a couple of deep breaths, before then making her way inside and tracking down the team that is helping her pull everything off.

Making her way to the courtyard where the engagement party will take place, Charlotte is blown away by it all. She asked for everything to be kept relatively simple and they came through, with the exception of red roses and candles filling the space alongside the tables that will be filled with food and the DJ getting setup. Walking around she sees a banner with the words, "Congratulations, Mallory and Charlotte," on it and knows that Mal will most likely give her heck for using their full names.

Knowing that the party is all looked after, she makes the walk through the building to where she plans to ask. Everything is as she requested it to be, complete with a single red rose waiting to be handed to the woman she is choosing to ask to be hers forever and always.

"Charlie!"

Her face lights up as Marley comes running towards her and she wraps her arms around her.

"How was the zoo?"

"So cool! The pandas are awesome. Finn and I drew a picture of them for you and Auntie Mal."

"I can't wait to see it. Now, you know exactly what you need to do to help me, right?"

"Yep! Hand you the box, when you give me the signal."

"Exactly. Where's your Mom?"

"Right here. Marls took off running." Charlotte looks up and smiles as she sees Brianna, Mackenzie, Finn and the parents all dressed up and looking quite spiffy she might add.

"You guys all clean up quite nicely, and Finn, you know how to tie a tie? or is that a clip-on?"

Finn lifts it up, "Nope, but, I confess I may have had to google it."

They all laugh.  
  
  


New Message

Sulli 🌞: We will be leaving in about 15; I hope that you're ready.  
  
  


"They're leaving in 15. That means I have about 30 minutes, right?"

No one answers her, knowing that she's talking out loud to herself.

"You all know your places, right?"

"Go and get your girl, Charlie."

Charlotte walks over and collects the single rose before making her way to the point where she will meet Mal.

As she stands there and tries to remember to breathe, the words she plans on saying play on a loop in her head.

New Message

Sulli 🌞: We're here.

Charlotte looks at the message and then passes her phone over to Mackenzie who had been standing in silence beside her.  
  
  


Outside of the National Gallery of Art, Andi helps Mal make her way inside.

"Mal, do you know where the fountain is located? That's where we are supposed to meet up with the group."

Mal nods, "Yeah, C.J. has brought me here a few times. It's this way."

Andi smiles, "Okay, you lead and I'll follow."

As Mal makes her way towards the fountain she has no idea that in a few minutes her life is about to change.

Charlotte paces around the area, trying to control her breathing and remember what she plans to say. She hears voices, both of which she recognizes and waits for them to come into view. She sees Mal and Andi, but her girlfriend doesn't immediately see her standing there.

Andi smiles at her and mouths, "Good luck," before cutting through the side room to go and join the group waiting for them.  
  
  


Mal looks up and stops when she finally sees her girlfriend standing and waiting for her.

"C.J. what is this? And what are you doing here, I thought that you were home."

"All part of the plan ... now, I have a question for you." Mal looks at her and she laughs, "Not yet, Mally," Charlotte produces the rose from behind her back and shows it to Mal, smiling widely, "Mallory, will you accept this rose from me?"

Mal smiles and laughs, "Of course, I will."

"That's good because you had me a little scared there." Charlotte steps forward and hands her the rose and kisses her gently on the lips. "Walk with me, Mal, or in your case, hop with me."

"Not funny, Babe."

As they turn the corner and make their way through the doorway, not only does the fountain comes into view, but so do all of Mal's teammates and their family lining a path towards it.

They make the walk past them and stand opposite each other in front of the fountain, "This is beautiful, C.J."

"Not nearly as beautiful as you are. Mal, I'm sure by now, you've figured out what all of this is leading up to; but, I beg your indulgence and ask that you listen to what I have to say."

Mal smiles and nods as she wipes at the corner of her eyes.

"Mal, I always used to listen to my father talking about how he knew from the very first moment he laid eyes on my Mom that they were meant to be together. It was love at first sight, he said. But, he was always good at making things appear or sound different than they really were. Imagine my surprise when at the U20 camp, I was assigned a roommate who made me feel the same way. You had me from the very first moment we met, Mal. Your smile, laugh and touch made me feel things inside that I'd never ever dreamed of and I knew then and there, that you were it for me. You are my soulmate, Mal and I can't imagine living my life without anyone except you beside me every step of the way.

Charlotte looks over and signals Marley, who delivers her the box and then signals for her to bend over so she can kiss her cheek, causing the group to burst out laughing. Charlotte hugs the young girl and laughs as does Mal.

Once Marley returns to her Mom's side, Charlotte turns her attention back to the task at hand.

She takes the Ring Pop case out of the box and then places the box on the floor beside her as she drops down on one knee in front of and looks up at Mal, who smiles through her tears. Charlotte takes a deep breath and composes herself before starting, "Mal, you once told me that you'd marry me even if I proposed with a Ring Pop." She holds the Ring Pop front and centre for everyone to see, causing a fair share of laughs and giggles as she does. "So, here goes; Mal, I love you, with all that I am and all that I ever will be and I'm wondering if here and now, in front of our families and friends if you will agree to be my partner, my soulmate, my one true love and make me the happiest person in the world by agreeing to be my wife. Mallory Diane Pugh, will you marry me?"

Charlotte feels as though her heart is beating out of her chest and that time has stopped as the tears roll down her cheeks and she awaits Mal's response to her question.

"Yes, Charlotte Jennifer Gordon, I will marry you. Now, please tell me there's a real ring inside of the Ring Pop?"

Charlotte lets out a laugh, "Of course, there is."

She opens up the Ring Pop case to reveal the real ring inside and then watches Mals' jaw drop as she gets her first glimpse of the sparkler it contains. She pauses for a moment before then removing the ring from its case and taking Mal's hand in her own. Sliding the ring on, it's a perfect fit and her face lights up as she stands back up and shares a kiss with her new fiancée, to the clapping and cheers of the crowd surrounding them.

Mal holds Charlotte's hand and looks around at everyone, "So, was everyone in on this?"

They all nod their heads and smile before the parents come forward and hug both of them, while the remainder of the group makes their way towards the courtyard.

"I have one more surprise for you, Mally; come with me."

Charlotte leads her to the courtyard which is lit up by backlighting as well as candles.

"C.J., I know you said you would never write a romance novel or story, but, damn, Babe, I feel like I've living one right now. I can't believe you did all of this for me and this ring, it's absolutely stunning."

"I'm glad you like it, although, I really had considered just popping the question with an actual Ring Pop."

"C.J., I still would have said yes."

"Even if it was a watermelon, one?"

"Probably." Mal laughs as she says it. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

They share a kiss and watch their friends and family mingle.

Charlotte smiles, "How about we get you off your feet for a bit and enjoy some food and drink. I'd ask you to dance, but being as though you're already injured, I don't think we should risk any additional injuries."

"Agreed. I want to see my fiancée dominating the friendlies and not being hobbled alongside me because of a dancing mishap."

Charlotte laughs, "How about we splurge on some dance lessons before the wedding?"

"Sounds like a plan."

They share a long, passionate kiss and stare at each other smiling.

"I love you, Wikipedia."

Charlotte smiles, "Love you, always and forever, Captain Mally."


End file.
